Mr Smith and the 143 Potential Thieving Families

I came home today to find a note stuck in my mailbox. It was from a certain Mr Smith of apartment XX. He wrote about how his car was broken into on the weekend and about things, including his new GPS unit, which were taken. He declared that he knew the culprit and warned the person to watch his/her back. He also complained about the lack of video cameras within the complex and garage areas. I found the note offensive because it sounded like he was referring to me. Before I went to my apartment, I decided to drop by my elderly neighbours on the ground floor to see if they received the same note. They didn’t but decided to go with me to check their mailbox anyway. Sitting there indeed was the same note. My neighbour read it and scrunched it up. They told me not to be bothered by the note. On my way up to my apartment, I bumped into my Singaporean neighbours. I asked if they also had received the offensive note. They said they too received such a note. They wondered why Mr Smith didn’t just tell the police who he suspected the thief to be and let the police to do their job. By then, I was pretty sure that Mr Smith had left the same note in everyone’s mailbox. There are altogether 144 apartments in this complex. Is Mr Smith accusing everyone except himself?

Mr Smith is wrong to whinge about the lack of video cameras. The complex is already hooked up with many cameras. There are cameras in the garage, in the foyer and there is even one overlooking the communal areas. There was none of these gadgets when I first moved here. Today, I can’t help feeling like I live in a complex not much different from the Big Brother House. All these security measures are expensive too. I would like to see the Body Corporate fees better spent. I absolutely disagree with the installation of the one spying on the communal facilities. Aren’t people even allowed to enjoy themselves without having their privacy invaded like that?