I
was reading about something called the “bystander effect” which
is a phenomenon where bystanders will just watch someone who is in
need of help without offering any assistance.
I
remember an incident from a few years ago in China where a little
girl had been run over by a car and no one in the crowd moved to help
her and she ended up being run over a second time. It took several
more minutes before someone went to her and tried to get help. Sadly
in this case the little girl died from her injuries a few days later.
There
are many reasons for the “bystander effect” and you can read them
in the link below. I've always been curious about how I would react
in certain situations. Would I intervene? Or just watch silently? Or
maybe take out my phone and try to record a video and hope it becomes
viral on Youtube. Something happened this week that sort of gave me
an answer.
Where
I live we seem to be known for three things; the jungles that are
teeming with monkeys who will enter your house and steal your food if
you're not careful; the postmen who being a bit lazy decided to dump
their mail in a ravine (yes it happened) and the prevalence of crime.
A
few weeks ago I talked about all the recent gun crime in Malaysia.
And the papers here have been more than happy to inform the public
about all the high profile shooting that have taken place. At last
count we've had thirteen shootings in three weeks. There are probably
people who live in more dangerous parts of the world who are rolling
their eyes at such a “low” number. But in Malaysia gun crime is
pretty rare. Or at least used to be.
In
Malaysia it is highly illegal to own a weapon without a permit. And
it's very hard to obtain a permit. We're a bit like Britain when it
comes to guns. In Malaysia the people that tend to carry firearms are
law enforcement, politicians and criminals. Everyone else who wants a
gun needs to apply for those hard to get permits. Knife crime is more
common here. As a law abiding citizen I do not possess a firearm. But
criminals do. Funny how criminals just break the law like that.
Another
form of crime that is common is snatch theft. Snatch theft usually
involves two men on a bike who will try and grab women's handbags
from them. Sometimes they will be have knives to try and either cut
the straps or attack the woman so that she lets go of her handbag.
Unfortunately in some cases this has led to fatalities. The best
advice for women is to not struggle and just let go of the bag.
And
in my neighbourhood there have been a few incidents involving snatch
theft. We've even come across a few cases where we came across
several women who'd just been robbed but were thankfully unharmed.
A
few days ago I was driving back home from the Mosque with my Dad and
I noticed two men on a bike who were struggling with a woman over her
handbag. Now my Dad wasn't so sure about what was going on. But from
her reaction I knew she was being mugged. So I did something that was
brave/stupid/foolish/reckless.
I
pressed down on the car horn and swerved the car to block the path of
the robbers. I think at that moment they both panicked. And as they
tried to avoid the car they both fell over. To their credit they were
pretty fast. By the time I got out of the car they were both already
running away. Where's Usain Bolt when you need him? A small part of
me was glad that they did. I didn't have much of a plan as I opened
the car door. I guess I would have tried to fight them. That might
not have ended well.
Well
they forgot to take their bike with them. I noticed another car
parked at the side of the road just behind us. One car passed by
close to me and the woman driving asked if a robbery had taken place.
For some reason I couldn't speak and just nodded and the woman just
said “Bastards.” Which seemed appropriate in this case.
I
then heard my Dad shouting at me to get back in the car and drive
back home. For some reason he was upset with me. He kept talking
about how I could've ended up hitting the two guys and been charged
by the police. I also think a part of him was worried that the two
men might have had weapons and that I could have gotten seriously
hurt.
When
he got home he immediately called the police to tell them about what
had happened and left to go back to meet them there and make sure the
lady was okay. It turns out she was working at one of the houses and
had just left work when she got mugged
The
other driver was still there with her and after talking to him my Dad
was surprised to find out that he had stopped with the intention of
trying to catch the two men. My Dad had thought he had stopped at the
side of the road to avoid hitting us. Apparently his friend had been
seriously hurt in a similar type of robbery.
A
couple of police patrol cars arrived a few minutes later. The bike
that the criminals had left behind still the keys in them and had
it's padlock intact which meant that it wasn't stolen and the police
think that they'd be able to find the owner of the bike easily.
By
the time my Dad got back he had calmed down and wasn't angry with me
any more. Though I suspect he will be giving me crap about it
for..let's see..the rest of my life. So I learned that in certain
situations I'm the type of person who would take action. Even if that
action is brave/stupid/foolish/reckless. And the fact there was
already someone else who was ready to help as well means that things
aren't so bad. There are plenty of decent people in this world.
I
also learnt that my friends Sara and TJ can be quite violent. They
suggested that I should have actually run the two motorcyclist over
instead of just blocking their path. I blame violent video games. On
a serious note I'm just glad everyone is okay. The lady, the other
driver who stopped, myself & even those two idiots who tried to
steal a woman purse.
So
does this mean that on top of my blogging I'll turn myself into a
caped crusader and hunt down criminals on a quest to keep the streets
of Kuala Lumpur safe? I don't think I would even need a costume. I'll
just take my glasses off and be COMPLETELY unrecognisable (seriously
Superman?)
I
wouldn't recommend being a vigilante either. Let's leave it up to the
police to fight crime. The exception of course is if you're a
Billionaire with access to hi-tech gear and a bat filled caved or
maybe you're just a boy in love with a girl who just happened to get
bitten by a radioactive spider. Then you can become a vigilante.
P.S.
The next morning I read a story in the newspaper about a POLICE
OFFICER who was a victim of snatch theft. He was feeling a little
drowsy and decided to take a nap at the side of the road and had left
his drivers side window half open.
As
he was sleeping he felt someone tugging at the gun in his holster.
Before he could react the robber got away with the policemans gun and
several personal belongings. The robber then ran to a waiting
accomplice on a motorcycle and they both promptly got away. The
police officer in question is being investigated though he is still
on active duty.
And
recently a police officer has been arrested for helping a drug dealer
escape from his cell at a detention centre. Sigh..Commissioner
Gordon, light up the Beardyman Signal.
"Because
he's the hero Kuala Lumpur deserves, but not the one it needs right
now"
Some
Links for you:
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