crime.jpgA woman grabbed a 2-year-old toddler in a busy shopping arcade and stabbed the child in Tokyo, Japan. A Korean student went on a shooting massacre in Virginia Tech, USA, and killed 33 people including himself. A man in Singapore got the help of his wives to coerce his own underaged daughters to have sex with him. Is this the profile of the twenty-first century criminal? Heartless, brutal, senseless, and bizarre. But these are seemingly ordinary people – man and woman who look normal and have jobs and live amongst their neighbours and society.

Society has become more civilised and education levels have improved. The world is more knowledgeable and technology has made life easier in the twenty-first century. But why do crime become more gruesome and people more fearful? The series of bizarre crime throughout the world seems to be more prevalent in developing or highly competitive societies. People can harm and kill other human beings without remorse. It’s like a pressure pot – the temperature keeps on increasing but there is no outlet. The only way to let go is to burst.

What is the price of success and development? Does success come at the price of the psychological breakdown and mental health of the people? Human resource can be the greatest asset, or liability, of a society. What steps can be taken to ensure the well-being of the members of society in the midst of economic and material development? Working hours, childcare facilities, the cost of living, education system, working conditions, inflation and social values all have a part to play. If human psychology is neglected, the society will suffer the consequences in the form of bizarre crime and brutal destruction, amongst others.