KOTA KINABALU: They are barely in their pre-teen years, but these young boys seem bold enough to participate in a street brawl.
A recent video which went viral recently showed two groups of boys getting into a fight armed with sticks on a busy street in the heart of the city here has raised concerns.
The boys are believed to be below the age of 12.
This prompted city police to announce plans to intensify patrols in areas where these street kids frequently hang out.
Kota Kinabalu police chief Asst Comm Kasim Muda said they would be extending its Ops Payung operations at hotspot areas, deploy mobile patrol vehicles and motorcycle patrol units at all identified locations.
“We will reschedule our operations to beef up security and ensure that our presence is felt.
“Apart from police patrols, we will also have walkabouts with other agencies, including the Kota Kinabalu City Hall, the Immigration Department, Sabah Social Welfare Department, Rela and auxiliary police,” he said yesterday.
On the viral video, ACP Kasim said the incident happened on May 4 following a misunderstanding between two groups of street kids.
In the video, a group of children were standing in front of the main market here, while another group gathered at a small roundabout nearby.
Some were armed with sticks and a broom as they ran and chased one another, not fearing the vehicles passing by on the road.
They also threw sticks at each other, with one nearly hitting a car parked in front of the market.
“We believe these children were in the area without their parents’ knowledge. Since this involves children, we would refer the issue to the Social Welfare Department for the next course of action,” said ACP Kasim.
The children’s presence has largely been “accepted” by residents but a video which went viral recently has highlighted the problem of these street kids.
In another video that shows a boy hiding a plastic bag under his T-shirt, and seemingly sniffing glue, ACP Kasim said they would investigate the matter.
