Police have begun conducting spot checks at schools, including checking students’ smartphones, to ensure they do not contain prohibited or pornographic material.
The move follows directives from the cabinet and the Home Ministry for the police force to increase their presence and patrols in schools as part of efforts to curb juvenile crime.
According to Berita Harian, Malacca police chief Dzulkhairi Mukhtar said, “it is better for the children to cry now than for us to cry later”.
“This is the new approach. Sometimes we must be cruel in order to be kind,” he told reporters after leading a spot check at a secondary school in Bukit Baru.
Dzulkhairi (above) said the operation, which focuses on prevention, education, and enforcement, aims to ensure schools remain safe environments.
He added that police will continue working closely with the Education Ministry on this initiative.
“Starting today, inspections will be carried out continuously every day, involving around 336 schools across Malacca. We will also check mobile phones to ensure they do not contain prohibited content, especially pornography, and to make sure students do not bring such devices to school,” he said.
‘Parents must play their role’
He said police data showed that most student crime cases in Malacca this year stemmed from problems at home, rather than the schools themselves.
“Parents must play their role in ensuring their children do not bring prohibited items to school and monitor their social activities, including mobile phone usage.
“We cannot rely solely on teachers - for example, this school has 1,500 students and only 78 teachers, so it’s difficult to monitor every student. There will always be one or two who slip through,” he said.
During today’s inspection, police did not find any serious offences, though some students were caught carrying playing cards and mobile phones.
“Phones will be checked if there is suspicion of prohibited content. Today, we visited four schools, while three others were inspected by district police chiefs.
“These checks will continue indefinitely. We’re not taking over the schools’ duties, but will carry out ongoing surprise inspections,” he added.
He said the list of schools to be visited and inspected will be determined by district police chiefs and the heads of the Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department.
Last week, Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail announced that the ministry, through the police, would increase patrols and police presence around schools in support of the government’s newly introduced digital safety policy for students.
The initiative is among three immediate measures proposed by the cabinet following a series of violent incidents involving students.
On Oct 14, a 16-year-old girl was fatally stabbed at a school in Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya. The suspect, a 14-year-old boy, was charged with murder yesterday.
On Oct 7, a nine-year-old girl in Rembau, Negeri Sembilan, was allegedly molested by a female security guard and her boyfriend, while on Oct 2, a Form Three student in Alor Gajah, Malacca, was reportedly raped by her seniors. - Mkini
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