Schools have been urged not to conceal bullying incidents but to report them to the police promptly, allowing early intervention before such cases escalate into more serious problems.
Bukit Aman Criminal Prevention and Community Safety Department (JPJKK) director Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin said schools may previously have been reluctant to make reports out of concern that doing so could tarnish their reputation.
“However, when issues are repeatedly made viral, at least we become aware of them and can respond quickly to whatever is highlighted.
“It is better to act when there are early signs of trouble, before the situation worsens, so that School Liaison Officers can intervene. There may be other underlying issues related to bullying that are not immediately visible,” he said at a press conference today.
Noor Hisam was speaking after presenting appointment certificates to 549 Student Police Volunteer Corps (Suksis) inspectors at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)’s Dewan Agung Tuanku Canselor.
He declined to disclose the number of bullying hotspots or schools currently being monitored by police, saying every school had the potential to face such problems depending on how discipline and enforcement were managed.
He also noted that influences from films and video games could affect young people’s thinking, stressing that schools must play a key role in addressing such influences rather than relying solely on the police.
“Schools are closest to these teenagers and interact with them most frequently, so they cannot depend entirely on the police,” he said.
Noor Hisam said the role of School Liaison Officers was also important, particularly by strengthening their knowledge and skills to help address bullying.
He added that police continued to work closely with the Ministry of Education and state education departments to ensure bullying cases could be identified and addressed at an early stage.
“We are continuously working to increase the frequency of patrols by Mobile Patrol Vehicles and Motorcycle Patrol Units around schools.
“We cannot place police personnel in every school nationwide or have them present at every school at all times. However, we can maintain a certain level of police presence to serve as a deterrent,” he said.
