If a police officer can be a victim of snatch thieves, where do the public stand?

The news that a senior police officer lost his handgun to a snatch thieves is worrying to say the least. The news seems contrary to recent pronouncements that the crime rate in Malaysia has gone down since last year. Where do we, ordinary citizens stand when a senior officer becomes a victim of snatch thieves?

Does this incident indicate that everyone must be on alert wherever they go and be vigilant 24 hours a day?

The police and the public have been cooperating hand in hand trying to bring the crime rate down but when incidents such as this is in the news, we are quite disheartened. This case might be the odd one out of many but it might give the wrong impression to those who want to embark on a life of crime. The would be criminal would gain more confidence that crime does pay as even a senior police officer can be a potential victim.

Would this lead to more gated communities? Once upon a time we had the Rukun Tetangga scheme which I thought was a good idea not just in making sure that our neighbourhood was safe but indirectly fostering closer bonds among us. There was a sense of shared responsibility that all of us have a stake making sure that our home and family are safe from the criminals. We realise that we cannot depend on the police force alone.

I'm unsure whether the scheme would still work today as more people are living in high rises and just depend on the security provided to safeguard their homes. There is also the increasing time spent with our latest electronic gadgets that we do not even talk to each other at the dining table but instead sms, tweet or use whatsapp to communicate with the person in front of us.

What shall we do?

Image from wikipedia