Gun violence on rise: police [-More headache waiting for Hun Xen due to forced evictions?]

Monday, 03 September 2012
Buth Reaksmey Kongkea
The Phnom Penh Post

Armed robbery in Cambodia has doubled at the same time as more than 1,000 Royal Cambodian Armed Forces soldiers have fled their posts, taking their weapons with them, the general secretariat of the National Police Commissioner said on Friday.

At an eight-month review of the state of crime in Cambodia, Lieutenant General Mok Chito, director of the penal police department at the Ministry of Interior, said there had been 19 recorded cases of armed robberies in the first eight months of this year, compared with only 10 in 2011.

“The reason why the number of armed robberies and murders increased is because of the lack of weapon and ammunition control,” Chito said.

“One of the big challenges for police in controlling the weapons and ammunitions is that there were many soldiers who have run away from their units and taken military equipment including weapons and ammunition with them when they return to their communities,” Chito elaborated, adding that there have been 1,211 soldiers abscond from RCAF, mostly from border patrol units, so far this year.

Phnom Penh to strengthen security from now until 2008 election date

Friday, October 5, 2007
Everyday.com.kh
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Phnom Penh City authority issued a plan to strengthen the security and order in the city of Phnom Penh, starting from now until the day of the election next year. In a recent meeting, Kep Chuktema, Phnom Penh governor, ordered officials working under him to pay attention, and to fight the armed robberies which are intensifying everywhere, recently. He also ordered a tightening of security and order starting from now until the election date in 2008. Kep Chuktema said that he will order the deputy governors to constantly review the strengthening of the security along the 7 districts in the city in order to protect the security and order during the upcoming election.