SHAH ALAM: Selangor police conducted 79 checks at both day and boarding schools over the past three days as they stepped up crime enforcement efforts to maintain safety and discipline among students.
State deputy police chief Deputy Commissioner Mohd Zaini Abu Hassan said their checks found no major issues.
Zaini said the next step may include conducting inspections on students’ mobile phones should the need arise.
He was speaking to reporters after officiating at a school safety engagement programme at SMK Shah Alam in Bukit Jelutong yesterday.
“Keeping our schools safe is not just the responsibility of teachers, but a shared social duty.
“Together, we must ensure our children feel safe, confident and respected so they can focus on learning and building a better future,” he said.
Zaini said the initiative was supported by several measures, including regular police patrols around schools, as well as engagement sessions involving school liaison officers, administrators, teachers, parents and students.
Students have been urged to report offences to police, while school liaison officers have been empowered as ex-officio members of school safety committees.
Selangor police have also proposed that school liaison officers be appointed as ex-officio members of Parent-Teacher Associations (PTA), as well as parent, community and private involvement networks to strengthen collaboration in ensuring student safety and discipline.
Zaini said the proposal aims to institutionalise the participation of liaison officers in school safety initiatives at the national level.
“Previously, school liaison officers would visit schools occasionally or attend meetings when invited.
“Now, we want to empower them to be directly involved, to sit as ex-officio members within the PTA structure,” he said.
He said the proposal had been agreed upon for Selangor and would be brought to a national-level meeting between the police and Education Ministry for approval.
He added that 265 bullying cases and 954 incidents of student misconduct have been recorded in Selangor schools this year.
Zaini said most cases were handled by schools but police have opened investigation papers on nine bullying cases and 32 violent crime cases involving students.
“The numbers may seem small when compared with Selangor’s student population of almost one million, but each case carries a real emotional and social impact,” he said.
Last week, Melaka police launched random visits to schools in the state.
State police chief Datuk Dzulkhairi Mukhtar had said although the crime index involving school students had declined compared with 2024, the spot checks would continue as an added effort to curb student-related crime.
“Let these children cry now, rather than for us to cry later.”
© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd
