KUALA LUMPUR, Sept. 28 -- Guardhouses, boom gates and security guards have become a familiar sight in residential neighbourhoods across the Klang Valley, but putting them in place is not simply a matter of getting enough neighbours to agree and hiring a security company.

There are rules governing how guarded communities are established, where a guardhouse can be built, when a boom gate can be closed, whether residents can be forced to participate and even where speed bumps can be placed.

And the rules are not exactly the same across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

In Kuala Lumpur, City Hall (DBKL) uses the PLANMalaysia guideline as a reference for guarded neighbourhoods.

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