PETALING JAYA: It is time for the Government and community to declare war against 
snatch thieves who have not only caused misery to the people, but also tarnished 
the image of the country, Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice-chairman
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said.

“The public must exercise their civic responsibility to help apprehend snatch
thieves who are menace to society,” he said yesterday.

Expressing outrage over the case of two female British tourists who were traumatised
after one of them fell prey to snatch thieves in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday, he said
police should step up patrols in crime-prone areas.

“Snatch theft is a crime of opportunity and the criminals will not commit the act
when the police are on their rounds,” he added.

The women, who identified themselves as Julie and Connie, wrote a letter about
their ordeal to The Star, saying that the incident had ruined their holiday and
they would not return to Malaysia.

Both women were walking back to their hotel from KL Tower when the incident occured.
“Since then, we have not felt at all safe and have spent the last two evenings in our
hotel room,” they wrote.

Asking the public to do their part in curbing the menace, Lee said they should be
vigilant and help catch the offenders whenever possible.

He added that he welcomed efforts by the community like neighborhood watch
associations to prevent crime.

Lee also suggested that stringent laws including whipping and mandatory imprisonment
be meted out against snatch thieves to “strike fear in their hearts”.