One must really hand it to the CSI Series for portraying an ideal state of affairs. Bruckheimer must have made the connection to what the public wishes from the Police – undying devotion and dedication to serve a single end – solving crimes by letting or making evidence(s) speak the truth.
Such public wish remains unfulfilled wish here in BolehLand. Here those who dare rule. It may sound anarchical, but when one feels that one cannot feel safe in one’s surrounding due to some quarter having absolute freedom to impose its will on others, how can not that be. It must be said that some types of evidence has little value here. In a country where every individual is fingerprinted as a matter of record at the tender age of 12, it is a crying shame that such a valuable resource as those individualized records is overlooked and not given a chance to serve at least one of the purposes for which they are kept – identification.
Cars have been broken into lately in my neighbourhood. One of those was mine. I woke up one morning to find the driver’s side glass had been smashed and the louts, perhaps frustrated by the design of my cars stereo system, had successfully damaged it when they tried to wrench it out of the dashboard. I have the radio still, but I might as well have it stolen. It is now a piece of junk at the foot of my bed.
So, this grieved citizen, sullied by having his property defiled right in the sanctity of his own courtyard, called the ‘Cepat, Cekap, Betul’ people for assistance. The helpful person on the other side of the phone inform me that I was supposed to come to the Police Station to report the incidence – fine. And then this CSI addict and at the same time, a starry-eyed idealist, asked the RM64 question – “Will you be sending people here to get fingerprints from my messed-up car?”
The answer –“No! Bring the car here to the station.” Wait a sec – that would not be what the CSI would say.
I was expecting something like – “Give me your address, Sir. We’ll despatch a team right over. In the meantime, please keep your hands off the car, lest you taint valuable evidence.”
A RM128 question was asked – “What should I do? I can’t drive the car with broken glass all over the seat.”
The friendly person was heard talking to his colleagues, “It is alright isn’t it if the car is cleaned up for it to be driven to the station?”
“Tak apa, boleh. Cuci dulu nanti datang report.”
The truth dawned on me then. Finding out who the criminals are, is of the least interest to them and I was but an addition to the statistics. Whatever hope I have of assisting the Force to apprehend the criminals was dashed as soon as I compromise the evidence – I’ve watched too many CSI series and understood the implication of such action.
To say the least, I found all my conceptions of these ‘To Serve and To Protect’ people of BolehLand dashed to pieces. Bruckheimer had deceived me into hoping that my case is dealt with by the same and equally dedicated teams of BolehLand CSI. Shame on you Bruckheimer!
I cleaned my car, replaced the windscreen and never bothered to go to the station to report the incident. Wait, before you go and accuse me of perpetuating and/or suppoting a crime because I did not report it, think of the purpose of such action. Why report a crime? (This is a RM256 question – it gets more expensive you see with deeper or more profound revelation). Is it for you to end up a statistic or for you to be (or at least feel) protected?
If you choose the former – fine, go report, and have a nice day. But if your choice is the latter, go report – do you feel protected now?
The second choice, besides having the Force keep order and peace in the society, entails the generation of the feelings of security amongst the citizens of this nation. The Force cannot shoulder such huge responsibility alone. The onus is on us, the person walking the street, as well. Let us contribute in whatever little ways we can. More importantly, make us feel that our contributions matter.
How can I feel secure when I was forced to forgo of an opportunity to contribute to the preservation of such security? I cannot say that I feel secure tonight while the perps who defiled my property yesterday still walk free, secure in the the knowledge that their identities remain unknown, thanks to the dedication of BolehLand CSI.
Some may opine that the fingerprints won’t mean hoot. Very few criminals are successfully charged of their crimes based on evidence of fingerprints. But the keyword here is the feeling of security. Security for the lay people and insecurity for the criminals. The Force’s presence embodies both. Its refusal to be present at scenes of crimes may send the wrong signal – go ahead, do what you will, we are not coming for you. Lost then is the deterring influence the Force has over unlawful activities. Lost then the peace of mind the public has.
The least that the search for fingerprints at crime scenes would do is to put the fear that their identities might be known into these criminals. With the fear of such revelation, these thugs would not be so smug and cocky as they go about their business. That would be the death of the state of anarchy, in my area at least. Then of course the criminals may opt to wear gloves, but that’s another story.
I, your #1 fan, curse you Bruckheimer for making me wish for a different state of existence. Ban CSI series on BolehLand TV! Oh yeah – and May the Force be With You!
