TOUR companies have started hiring extra security for visitors to popular Kuala Lumpur and Malacca spots in a bid to end pickpocketing and snatch thefts.

In addition, travel agents have developed additional support services to help tourists report lost passports and obtain new identification documents during their holiday.

Malaysia United Tour Guides’ Association (MUTGA) vice-chairman Tommy Tan told The Malaysian Insight that agencies have established dedicated teams to quickly redress such situations.

“Public security and crowded checkpoints are two major challenges for the Malaysian tourism industry. These need to be resolved, or the consequences (to the industry) would be great.”

MUTGA deputy president Lim Bam Soon said in Malacca, tour guides hire guards especially when taking visitors to places like the Stadthuys building.

He said the practice, which has been in place for four years, has eliminated cases of theft involving tourists.

Tour guide Paul Yap, who has 25 years’ experience in the industry, said People’s Volunteer Corps (Rela) personnel are often hired to provide security.

Malacca’s 500 tour guides split the security fee, with each contributing RM30 a month. It costs RM15,000 to pay Rela for six personnel, who are stationed at three major tourist spots, namely Bukit Cina, Cheng Hoon Teng Temple and the Stadthuys building.

Yap said he believes tourists’ safety and security are the responsibility of the authorities, not tour guides.

At a joint press conference by MUTGA and the Malaysia Women Tourist Guides’ Association recently, a guide spoke about a group of tourists whose bags were snatched, resulting in them losing their passports and missing their flights.

The affected tourists had to go through the tedious process of lodging police reports and getting travel agents to confirm the incident to the authorities, he said.

He said it is worse when tourists get injured during snatch thefts, and require hospitalisation.

Tour guides end up working after hours to help their clients lodge reports, he added.

Another guide, Lim Lai Leong, said even houses of worship are not spared by thieves, citing Masjid Negara in Kuala Lumpur.

“I know of four guests who have been robbed. We now advise tourists to leave their bags on the bus.”

He said such incidents hurt Malaysia’s image as a tourism destination.

Another hotspot for pickpockets is the Petronas Twin Towers.

Tour guides said plainclothes policemen now patrol the area from 10am to 2pm, but thieves have picked up on this, and operate after the officers leave. – April 7, 2019.