Imagine losing a significant chunk of your hard-earned income to thieves, day after day. That's the reality market traders in Kuala Lumpur faced for years, pushing them to a desperate solution: installing their own surveillance systems. But is this a long-term fix, or just a band-aid on a bigger problem?
For years, theft was rampant at the Kuala Lumpur Wholesale Market in Selayang. Seafood and vegetable vendors were constantly losing valuable merchandise, impacting their livelihoods. After years of frustration, they decided to take matters into their own hands, investing in hundreds of CCTV cameras to monitor their stalls and deter would-be criminals.
Sing Kian Hock, president of the Hoi Seong Fish Wholesalers Association, explained that the problem was so severe that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) had already installed 122 CCTV cameras in 2017, following numerous complaints from traders. "We requested this because there were too many thefts," he said. Before the city's intervention, the association even hired its own private security guards to patrol the market between 6 PM and 2 AM, with each seafood stall contributing approximately RM80 per month to cover the costs. Seafood stalls were particularly vulnerable due to the high value of their products.
He further elaborated, "After we installed CCTV cameras, everything changed. The entire area is monitored and the theft problem was contained."
Wong Keng Fatt, president of the Kuala Lumpur Vegetable Wholesalers Association, added that almost every vegetable stall now has its own CCTV camera, supplementing the city's efforts. "DBKL has installed cameras around the outer areas of the market but they don’t cover every corner or the individual stalls. So our association decided to install our own cameras," he clarified. And this is the part most people miss: the city's cameras weren't enough.
The system has proven effective in catching thieves, who are often workers or individuals familiar with the market's layout and operations. "They knew which vegetables were more expensive. It usually happened during unloading – a thief would push away a trolley of goods and disappear." Wong recalled that once the cameras were visible, the thefts significantly decreased.
The association's investment in CCTV technology dates back approximately 20 years, when the technology was significantly more expensive. "We spent around RM200,000 then to install about 120 cameras. There are 216 vegetable stalls, so each camera covers two to three stalls," he noted.
The trend isn't limited to Kuala Lumpur. Natasha Bok Chia Bee, secretary of the Malaysian Fish Industries General Association, stated that seafood traders in Penang have also adopted similar security measures. "I haven’t had any theft cases so far because I always have my own staff overseeing the unloading, especially at night. Otherwise, things can go missing," she explained.
While the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has installed CCTV cameras around the market, many traders prefer their own systems for easier access and control. "Some of the council cameras don’t capture everything, and if we want to review footage, we need to go to the office and wait for an officer. It’s faster and safer to have our own cameras," Bok Chia Bee said. She continued, "Of course, it costs more – we need Wi-Fi, about RM100 to RM200 a month – but that’s still cheaper than losing our seafood. We’d rather spend a little more for peace of mind."
A check on three wet markets managed by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), all of which have CCTV installed, has revealed that traders have not faced losses from theft of goods stored at their stalls after closing time for the past several years.
T. Raja, a vegetable seller at the Section 14 wet market in Petaling Jaya, who has been operating his stall for 40 years, said that about 10 years ago, thieves had stolen baskets of greens from his stall, but there have been no cases in the past five years. Similarly, Yee Weng Onn, a fishmonger who has been operating his stall for 50 years, said that there were previously instances of people stealing buckets of fish, but such incidents no longer occur.
The situation is similar at the Sungai Way wet market. Sandra Lee, who runs a sundry shop, stated that theft at the market is a thing of the past and rarely occurs. "Many years ago, there were cases of cooking gas cylinders going missing from the food stalls next door and at times eggs and other items also got stolen, but this no longer happens," she said. Butcher C. Shankar and vegetable seller Iswan Iskandar Abd Rashid echoed Lee’s comments. "Perhaps the CCTVs here help deter the thieves," Shankar suggested.
Furthermore, at the PJ Old Town wet market, the installation of gates at the market entrances has helped eradicate theft. Kamal Hashim, who sells raw keropok lekor and various noodles, explained that the gates are closed at 6 PM and security guards monitor the premises. "The gates are only opened at 3 AM when traders start opening their businesses. Nobody is allowed entry between 6 PM and 3 AM, including traders of the market." Ah Hah, a vegetable seller who has been at the market for 50 years, also credited the fencing and the stationing of security guards for the crime-free environment.
But here's where it gets controversial: is relying solely on CCTV cameras truly addressing the root cause of the problem? Are there other underlying issues, such as economic hardship or lack of alternative opportunities, that contribute to theft? And what about the potential for misuse of surveillance technology?
This raises some important questions: Should market security be solely the responsibility of the traders, or should the local authorities provide more comprehensive solutions? Is constant surveillance creating a more secure, or simply a more monitored, environment? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Do you think CCTV is enough, or are there other, more effective ways to tackle theft in markets?
