SHAH ALAM: Bullying in schools must be snuffed out before it escalates into major crime by reporting matters to the authorities as soon as possible, Bukit Aman says.
Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department director Comm Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said such reports may be lodged by teachers or the victims' parents.
"If we look at several incidents including stabbings that we simply could not have imagined occurring in schools before, perhaps the warning signs or indications were already there.
"So, we have been working together with the Education Ministry to identify these matters at an earlier stage and determine the appropriate steps that should be taken before the situation becomes worse," he said after the 10th Graduation Parade for the UiTM Police Undergraduate Volunteer Reserve Corps here on Monday (Aug 24).
"We cannot place personnel at every school across Malaysia, nor can we be present at every school at all times.
"However, we want to ensure a police presence, where our personnel are visibly present in the vicinity of schools," he added.
Comm Noor Hisam said there was greater awareness of the importance of early reporting among heads of schools.
"There is no need to hide these matters. If there are bullying cases or other incidents, they should be reported to us immediately," he said.
He also assured that the partnership involving the Education Ministry, schools and the police was good.
"This is a problem all parties want to see solved," he said.
On today's graduation ceremony, he said a total of 549 graduates had completed training and received their certificates.
He also said that Bukit Aman is mulling a quota system for such graduates to enter the police force as full-time officers.
"If you look at the current training period for a police inspector, it’s around nine months. Perhaps we can (accommodate these) graduates to shorten the training to, perhaps, six months.
"This is because this programme already teaches them some core basics of policing, (so) they would already be familiar if they choose to join the force," he said.
