Ara Damansara

Posted by LeeYK
Source: Star Mar 12

RESIDENTS Associations (RA) seeking to turn their neighbourhoods or housing estates into guarded communities must ensure that the security hired to guard the area is registered with the Home Ministry.

This is to ensure that only legally trained guards were hired to take care of the neighbourhoods, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha said.

Also, RAs must get the consent of every household in the neighbourhood.

“100% consent is a must,” he stressed.

These are just some of the requirements which will be part of the guidelines on guarded communities that are being compiled by the ministry.

Also, the guidelines will not allow boom gates to be installed but guardhouses are allowed as long as they meet the proper specifications.

“We are currently preparing the guidelines and will soon be sending them to the Cabinet for approval. If the Cabinet approves, we will present it at the National Local Government Meeting (MNKT),” Kong said, adding that the guidelines were subject to changes.

Once approved, ideally the ministry’s guidelines should be adopted by local authorities in Peninsular Malaysia.

RAs must then get the necessary approval from their respective local authorities.

Kong said gated and guarded communitinies had been evolving and, as more and more people are opting for the way of life to curb crime, not everyone understood the differences between gated and guarded communities.

The minister said gated communities are regulated by an Act of Parliament — the Strata Title Act — while guarded neighbourhoods are not.

It has been reported that the Selangor government will also be releasing its own guidelines on guarded communities and that 85% consent was required to approve the conversion of a housing estate into a guarded scheme.