SHAH ALAM: With more than 1,200 cases of student misconduct reported in Selangor, state police patrolmen will now make their presence felt at schools by entering the compounds to carry out surveillance.
Selangor deputy police chief Deputy Comm Mohd Zaini Abu Hassan said previously police surveillance was carried out only from outside school perimeters.
Under the new initiative, he said police in patrol cars and from motorcycle units will carry out checks on school grounds to keep a closer watch on disciplinary issues among students.
Mohd Zaini said the move was part of efforts to curb worrying behavioural trends among students, including bullying, gangsterism, and sexual crimes.
"Records from the Selangor Education Department show 265 cases of bullying and 954 other forms of misconduct this year. The numbers are worrying and we are concerned over such incidents," he said.
Mohd Zaini said although there were over 1,200 cases, police investigations were only opened for 41 of the cases, including nine related to bullying and 32 involving other offences.
However, he said none resulted in prosecution as some lacked sufficient information while others were dealt with through school or departmental action.
Mohd Zaini said initiatives are also being taken to further enhance existing policies and promote a culture of social responsibility among students.
"It is important to create an ecosystem that supports emotional well-being.
"Students must feel safe and encouraged to come forward and report cases of bullying, sexual offences, gangsterism or exposure to negative influences such as violent video games and immoral online content," he said.
He added that the police would continue to work closely with the Education Ministry and other relevant agencies to ensure that schools remain safe and conducive environments for learning.
The renewed push to beef up security and safety measures in schools comes in the wake of the shocking murder of a 16-year-old student at SMK Bandar Utama in Petaling Jaya on Oct 14.
