The police, the neighbour, the alarm system

My sincere hope that the incident mentioned in the letter to the editor today does not happen again. The letter writer thanked the good Samaritan who informed him of the burglary, the police who responded promptly as well as the alarm company for their quick action.

I do want to believe that there are many more unreported cases of quick and prompt action taken by the police whenever emergencies arise and the public needs their help. My worry is that I might be wrong and all this good news is just a flash in the pan and rare.
I do see more police personnel in town but not as many in the housing estates. I'm unsure how they are deployed and which area gets the priority but I'm glad that they respond accordingly as mentioned in the letter.
The other point touched on in the letter is the fact that there still exist caring neighbours in our midst. In this day and age the friendly neighbour is a dying species. Most of us keep a distance from the neighbours as we are concerned that we will be known as a busybody. The most neighbourly gesture nowadays might be a greeting when we see them at the door before and after going out of the house.
Not many would take the trouble to find out whether the neighbour is all right or needs any assistance. How could we know anything about our neighbour when we see the door is always closed shut once we reach home? In urban centres with many high rises, the only opportunity to know your neighbour better might be during the residents meetings.
Sometimes we are closer to work colleagues and know them better as we spent almost the whole day with them. The time spent with neighbours is only at night after work and during the holidays. Unfortunately many are not at home even during the holidays as many want to escape the routine of everyday life and use the weekend for a break.
The police and your neighbours have to be cultivated as two major components in the effort to minimise the probability of a crime being committed in our homes. Easier said than done of course.

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