Woman Contacts 999 After Robbery In Rawang But Was Told To Call Bilik Gerakan Instead
It allegedly took nearly an hour for them to get help.
By Tamara Jayne — 14 Aug 2019, 11:44 AM
A Malaysian woman who was recently attacked by a group of robbers shared her bad experience in contacting the emergency hotline 999
Thivyah Veelurajan explained to SAYS that she and her family were at home in Rawang when a group of men attempted to break in at 2.30am on 5 August.
"My sister came running into the room with her eight-month-old baby. She then told me that someone is trying to break into our house. We immediately called 999 (at 2.37am)," she wrote.
After making the call, Thivyah heard her mother, aunt, and 90-year-old grandmother scream and she immediately ran out to check on them
She found three masked men slashing her 67-year-old father with a parang and hitting her aunt and grandmother with a stick.
Her sister and baby were also allegedly threatened with a parang.
Warning: Viewer discretion is advised for the following images.
"All I was able to do is to fall on their feet and beg them not to hurt my family... All I wanted is my loved ones to be safe! They took whatever they wanted and demanded more. We gave all that we had. The robbers escaped with my car after the 45-minute ordeal," she added.
She explained that two cops eventually showed up but were seen waiting for 17 minutes at the end of her street
"You didn't come to our aid till 3.30am, when two calls were made earlier. I saw your police car at the end of our street. You saw the robbers escaping with my car," Thivyah wrote, adding that the robbers even drove pass the police car, which did not have its lights on.
"Why didn't you chase them? I remember clearly there was a beep sound when one of them said its time to leave," she asked.
"You waited for them to escape and had the cheek to ask me if it's my car they escaped with? You didn't have to do a heroic stunt, but if you did call for help and alerted your team, the robbers could have been easily caught. What made you wait so long? It doesn't make sense."
According to Thivyah, authorities told her that it was better to have called Bilik Gerakan instead of 999 because it would have taken too long to "process" information
"The first thing they told me is [why] did you call 999, don't you have Balai Polis Rawang or Bilik Gerakan's (Operations Room) number? If someone is in distress do you think they will Google these numbers?" she wrote.
"I swear I didn't know it will take an hour if I were to call the only emergency number that everyone would know by heart."
Thivyah alleged that although the police station is located only eight minutes away from her home, it took nearly "an hour for them to get help".
Thivyah shared that the post was not written to offend anyone but was simply to question the emergency hotline's system
"This post is not to offend anyone. I met amazing police officers right after the incident, who are doing a great job. However, this faulty system (999) needs to be rectified!" she wrote.
"Prevention is better than cure. Who can we rely on if it's not the police? They are supposed to protect us. Some don't even believe in them anymore. How can we live peacefully if that's what it is?"
She revealed that her grandma was in the hospital bed awaiting surgery for her fractured shoulder and hip bones.
Thivyah shared the incident in a Facebook post on 9 August, which has since garnered over 2,100 shares
Here are other phone numbers you can contact in case of an emergency:
1. Pulau Pinang: 04-2691999
2. Bukit Aman: 03-20319999 / 03-22663333
3. Selangor: 03-55145203/5204/5206
4. Kuala Lumpur: 03-21460585/0584
5. Perlis: 04-9711999
6. Kedah: 04-7392999
7. Pulau Pinang: 04-2691999
8. Perak: 05-2401999
9. Negeri Sembilan: 06-7619999
10. Melaka: 06-2851999/06-2854199
11. Johor: 07-2212999/07-2254459//4499
12. Pahang: 09-5151999/09-5052202
13. Terengganu: 09-6270499
14. Kelantan: 09-7450999
15. Sarawak: 082-240800
16. Sabah: 088-318555
17. Labuan: 087-412575
