A Johor Born Crime Prevention Expert

Going on 'crime-time' TV

LIFE begins at 40, or so they say. But for Johor-born Kamal Affandi Hashim, turning 40 meant asking himself every day: have I achieved enough or do I want more?

Being human, it is only natural that the answer is that he wants more.

"This does not mean I want to live life in the fast lane.

"I'm neither on the fast nor slow lane. Life treats me well, meaning that I experience both the sweet and the bitter equally," said Kamal, a crime analyst based in Kuala Lumpur, who grew up in a Felda settlement.

Being a sceptic, Kamal never thought he would ever be seriously involved in the fight against crime. His initial passion was for photography and he worked as a freelance photojournalist in the 1980s.

The turning point in his life came when his father insisted that he follow his footsteps by joining the police force.

"As a teenager, I rebelled against the idea. I didn't want to follow in his footsteps.

"I ran away from home three times because he tried to force me to join the police force.

"I thought if I ran away from home I could convince them to drop the idea. But how wrong I was," he said.

Finally, he gave in and joined the police force at Pulapah Bahau in Ayer Hitam.

"That decision has changed the way I look at life.

"I started placing more importance on life itself, not only mine but others as well.

"I started looking at how I could save and protect lives," said Kamal.

"The training I underwent turned the playful boy that I was into the man I am now."

After seven years of service, Kamal made another big change in his life when he quit the force to study criminology.

He has now earned a doctorate in applied criminology and is regularly invited to give talks on crime prevention and safety courses.

Kamal made the headlines in 2004 when he embarked on a solo crime prevention campaign nationwide.

He is an executive council member of the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation as well as the chairman of the foundation's youth outreach programme.

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Q: Do you have worries turning 40?

A: Who doesn't? It is a phase in everyone's life and different people handle it differently. For me, creating awareness among the people about crime prevention is the driving force that keeps me going. I feel that I am obliged to all Malaysians to impart the necessary skills to prevent crime.


Q: What is it like being a crime analyst?

A: I am a normal person just like anyone else. The only difference is that I have the knowledge, experience and skills to prevent crime from occurring. And other people can learn it too as it is important to guard yourself from danger.

I take my job seriously. I will be glad if I can make a difference in somebody's life from the knowledge they have gained from me. The keyword in fighting crime is "prevention" and there are so many ways of doing it. Sometimes, you don't even realise your own strength and ability when faced with danger. During my talks, I show people the skills that can save their lives.

Q: What is the crime situation in the Klang Valley?

A: Klang Valley is divided into two areas -- Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. These two areas border each other and have a parallel relationship. Whenever a serious crime happens in Selangor, the crime rate in Kuala Lumpur will drop and vice versa. In the city, serious crimes that frequently take place involve firearm robberies and murders while in Selangor, petty crimes like break-ins and bodily harm cases are reported.

Q: What is your view of today's television programmes like CSI where crimes are solved in a jiffy through forensic evidence ? Won't these programmes teach the criminals to cover their tracks after committing a crime?

A: Well for starters, television programmes are make believe. They are not real. The programmes last about 60 minutes while in real life it takes a long time to solve a case. Yes, you see fancy technologies and tools are used in television programmes but they are fiction.

There are standard operating procedures to follow to find and preserve the evidence. No crime goes easily undetected unless the offender is not human. Every strand of fibre or liquid from your body is like a tag. With the current technologies in forensic investigation, no criminal can get away easily but it takes 99 per cent investigation and one per cent luck to solve a case.

Q: You were in the police force for seven years. Where were you assigned?

A: I was attached to the serious crime division at the Shah Alam Section 11 police headquarters. I was a CID detective back then.

Q: Did you have any near death experiences?

A: It's part of the job. During one shooting incident, I was injured in my elbow but I did not notice it until I felt that the left side of my shirt was wet.

Something was dangling from the elbow. It turned out I was hit by the ricochet of a bullet fired by the assailants.

I am fine now and there are only scars from the injury now.


Q: You are also a film director and have produced a road safety awareness programme for a local television station. What is your next project?

A: It's not a done deal yet but I'm cooking up a cop series that I have called Anatomy.

Other than directing, I am still conducting my talks and solo campaign on crime prevention.


Q: What is your academic background?

A: I studied at Jubli Intan Renggam primary school and continued my secondary education at Dato' Haji Hassan Yunos. I completed my diploma in photography at Stamford College.

I did my degree in international relations at a private college before furthering my studies in the UK and completing a master's in criminology. Two years ago, I earned my doctorate in applied criminology in the UK.


Q: What would Kamal Affandi be today if he were still in the force?

A: . A darn good cop!


Q: What is your motto in life?

A: That diamonds are hard to crack, and always under-promise and over-deliver.


Q: Do you have a blog?

A: Yes. kamalfndhashim.blogspot.com. I do update it sometimes.

By Halim Said Johor Buzz 29, September 2008