Alex Lye, a technical associate of the Vehicle Theft Reduction Council of Malaysia Berhad, said it was not good enough to let manufacturers determine vehicle security standards on their own.

Speaking to FMT, he said it would be appropriate for the government, as the ultimate caretaker of the people, to force manufacturers to upgrade their basic security systems to comply with high standards, such as those used in South Africa and the European Union.

“These systems do not cost that much,” he said. “The prices range from RM600 to about RM1,000, which are relatively low when you consider the prices of cars.”

He said the security systems used in South Africa and Europe were the best in the world. It would take car thieves at least 20 minutes to bypass them, he added.

“You cannot totally prevent a car from being stolen,” he said. “The best you can do is make it as hard as possible for the thieves.

“If a car thief cannot steal a car within 10 minutes, he would most likely give up and move on to another car as the chances of getting caught increases with each minute.”

Lye spoke about a major stumbling block that prevents vehicle owners in Malaysia from upgrading their security systems. He noted that changing a new car’s security system would void the warranty.

He said this was why it was crucial for the government to compel manufacturers to provide good security systems. This would not be unreasonable, he said, pointing out that Proton had to comply with Thatcham standards for cars exported to Britain.

Last week, it was reported that an average of 60 vehicles are stolen every day across the country, putting Malaysia as one of the top 10 countries in the world for vehicle theft.