ISKANDAR PUTERI – Cases involving theft, fight, rape and burglary are among the top criminal offences committed by students in Johor.
State police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said 99% of those involved in these crimes were secondary school students aged between 13 and 18.
He said even though the student arrest index declined to 538 cases from January to October this year compared to 1,230 last year, the trend was still worrying.
As such, he said police had collaborated with Universiti Teknologi Malaysia to develop the Children and Teenagers Crime Awareness Module (MEKAR) to be used in the state’s 1,374 primary and secondary schools, as well as higher learning institutions.
Ayob Khan said MEKAR focuses on three main modules, namely narcotics, sexual harassment and social crimes, and incorporates psychological and counselling elements to instil awareness among the students.
"If we educate (the students) at the primary school level using this module… I am confident that when they attend secondary school, they will have awareness about crime.
"I will ensure consistent and continuous implementation (of the module)… It will start after the Covid-19 pandemic is over," he told reporters after the module launching ceremony here today.
