Safety and security woes at Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lots? Bad for UTC Perak?

The team of Ipoh Happenings frequently visited UTC Perak in the last few weeks and the office lots belonging to Kementerian Belia & Sukan (best public indoor gym) and Perbadanan Perpustakaan Awam Negeri Perak are our top haunts.

There is something odd though and today we are going to bring it up here on this blog. Whenever we introduced ourselves to the occupants and visitors of UTC Perak, many took the opportunity to voice their concerns about Pasar Besar Ipoh's (some say Ipoh Central Market) parking lots, especially those located down the basement. Some said that Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lots are scary, some said that the parking lots are smelly and some even claimed that the parking lots are lacking in safety and security.

How true are they?

Yes, the question bothered us a lot and we took it upon us to find the answers.

What we saw at Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lots, down in the basement

After a thorough inspection, our initial thoughts gave us the feeling that there might be some truth to the claim that Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lots are lacking in safety and security. We discovered that the parking lot spaces down in the basement of Pasar Besar Ipoh are well lit. However, the absence of security guards or the local policemen manning the area concerned us a lot. We also couldn't locate any CCTV cameras, thus worrying us even more.

Here's an awful thought. Since UTC Perak is open up until 10 PM, visitors might think twice about visiting the place in the evening if they feel that the parking lots down in the basement of Pasar Besar Ipoh are not safe. The thought of going down all alone to get to their cars parked down in the basement should worry them a lot. Who wouldn't?

The team of Ipoh Happenings however is happy to report that fire extinguishers are available in every corner of Pasar Besar Ipoh's basement parking lot areas. As for the infamous stench, well, there is nothing much that we can do about that. Until UTC Perak had parking lot areas of its own, outside of Pasar Besar Ipoh, its occupants and visitors will just have to bear with the unearthly smell. :)

What we learned from Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh's Bahagian Penguatkuasaan

After contacting Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh's Bahagian Penguatkuasaan, we learned that Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh had engaged the services of a security company to provide security to the parking lot areas in and around Pasar Besar Ipoh. This is very reassuring and Ipohites out there should not worry too much about the level of security at Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lot areas.

When asked about the absence or existence of CCTVs, Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh's Bahagian Penguatkuasaan unfortunately couldn't give us a straight answer.

It is now up to Ipohites out there. If you are still worried about the level of security at Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lot areas, voice your concerns straight to the attention of Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh. They are open for suggestions. :)

Our suggestions for UTC Perak and Majlis Bandaraya Ipoh

We feel that there are not sufficient emergency lights at Pasar Besar Ipoh's parking lot areas down in the basement. Conduct a study and see if there is a need to place more emergency lights down there now that UTC Perak operates up until 10 PM.

We believe that the (unused?) storage rooms located down the basement of Pasar Besar Ipoh can be converted into guard huts, allowing security guards and even the local police to use them as guard stations. Seeing guards on duty there will give occupants and visitors of both UTC Perak and Pasar Besar Ipoh a strong sense of safety and security.