More Sabah students involved in crime
PENAMPANG: There are 146 criminal cases involving students in Sabah last year, an increase from 129 cases in 2017.
Sabah Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department chief Dato Ahmad Fadzillah bin Mohammed said the cases involving students included motorcycle theft, house break-in, fights and a small number of drug offences.
“However, these criminal activities take place outside the school compound.
“The school compounds are still safe,” he said in a press conference after representing Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah at the launching of the state-level ‘Jom ke Sekolah’ (Let’s Go To School) programme at SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin here yesterday.
The programme, which was launched simultaneously nationwide, was a collaboration between the Ministry of Education and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in addressing disciplinary issues and misconduct among students through police personnel serving as School Liaison Officers (PPS) assigned to each school.
Meanwhile, State Education Department deputy director Datuk Dr Mohd Kassim Mohd Ibrahim said all the 1,279 schools in Sabah were assigned a PPS to deal with disciplinary, misconduct and other issues.
He said the programme aimed to build good relations and close cooperation with the police force and PPS in order to ensure discipline among students.
“This cooperation serves to instill awareness among students at an early age to become law abiding citizens.”