In quite a few housing estates in the Klang Valley, home buyers have in recent years gone to the extent of hiring private security organisations to patrol the streets day and night because of rising incidents of house-breaking and vehicle theft.

This is the modern successor to neighbourhood watch patrols, which was styled after the Government's Rukun Tetangga (RT) scheme that failed in the 80s because of dwindling support.

Typical of the move to use a private security firm is the residents' association of USJ20 in Subang Jaya. "Today, with so many desperados around, I wouldn't vouch for the effectiveness of nightly patrols. More and more burglars, car thieves and robbers are armed and we don't want our efforts to end up in tragedy," said Raymond Beh, secretary of the association named Arden Bronte' Residents' Association, after the design type of the houses in the enclave.

A dreadful sign indeed of the times that we live in. Last year alone, there were 15,789 snatch thefts nationwide, of which 13,900 were committed by motorcyclists and 25,789 burglaries of which 6,928 were committed during the day.

In the first quarter of this year, there were 2,107 snatch thefts while January and February alone recorded a total of 4,018 house break-ins nationwide.

Recent high profile snatch theft cases in which two of the victims died, led to a Cabinet decision to reintroduce the RT scheme, which made its debut in 1975 as a Government effort towards building neighbourliness and at the same time, keeping a lid on crime in residential areas.

In announcing this, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili said residents of 234 areas around the country that have been identified as "crime hotspots" would be trained by police to conduct crime prevention rounds and make arrests. These patrols are to commence next month.

According to Dr Ongkili, a pilot study conducted in Seberang Prai, Penang, where 31 Rukun Tetangga sectors are in operation, showed a 50 per cent reduction in crime. USJ20's Beh, however, believes that hired security is better than baton-armed residents walking the neighbourhood at ungodly hours.

USJ18 residents do not feel the same way. "Patrols by residents encourage people living within the neighbourhoodmto get to know and to look out for one another in case of any emergency, especially if a crime was to occur in the area," said Alex Soon 35, an active volunteer with the USJ18 Neighbourhood Watch.

The watch requires "willing residents" to patrol the streets from 2am to 5am daily. Each resident does so once every month in groups of three.

Those living in the area are also urged to get to know their immediate neighbours. The target is at least five in the row opposite, two on each side and three in the back row.

For this locality at least, the response from residents has been good. In USJ20, 95 per cent of the residents contribute RM35 a month for the service of security guards posted there around-the-clock to protect 188 homes in the enclave. Added security is also found in the guardhouse at the main road leading into the area.

Since it is not compulsory for everyone to sign up for this service, there are residents who opt not to contribute to this added security measure.

So, what about the five per cent who get a free ride? "Some of them have complained that RM35 is too much, while others are simply hostile towards the association," said Beh, which is ironic as the guards "will do what is morally right" if one of their houses is broken into.

Car-jacking and armed robberies are some of the crimes occurring in theSubang Jaya area. A similar security service has been put to use in Bukit Bandaraya, Kuala Lumpur, where the guards go on their day and night rounds in cars and motorcycles.

A 43-year-old resident there who did not want to be named, said he does not contribute to the service "because it will still not guarantee a resident's safety".

There are 150 households in the area covered by the Bukit Bandaraya Residents Association and 105 households contribute about RM50 a month for the service.

"I can pay for the service, but my house can still be broken into, so I don't see any reason (to pay). I expect the police to carry out its duties more effectively," the resident said.

Sri Hartamas and Desa Sri Hartamas are other upscale KL neighbourhoods where private security vehicles patrol the streets at frequent intervals.

A woman in her 20s, who only wanted to be known as Crystal, is a frequent visitor to Sri Hartamas and as she is often there late at night, she feels "the patrols by the guards in their little Kancil cars give me an added sense of security".

The Sri Hartamas Residents Association's assistant security manager, T. Veerasingam, said 11 guards work around-the-clock to look after 600 houses. The area has three guardhouses and three "umbrella posts" where guards are stationed.

"There has been no serious crime in this area since we started the patrols," he said. In Desa Sri Hartamas, the security force services about 200 houses. Four guards on motorcycles do the patrolling, and they also keep watch from three guardhouses.

Despite the patrols, break-ins can still occur and residents now want foot patrols as an added measure. While the security service can mean added cost, residents get to sleep soundly, even if many of them remain complete strangers to one another. In the case of USJ18, a close-knit community has been built, and, said Soon, "we have the lowest crime rate in the whole of Subang Jaya".