ISKANDAR PUTERI, Dec 2 — The current crime trends and statistics involving young people — both victims and offenders — in Johor remain worrying, said Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay.
He said among the top criminal offences involving children and teenagers, especially males, are theft, injury, burglary, rape and robbery.
“For 2018, arrests involving students in the crime index were at 1,388 cases and the figure went down to 1,230 cases last year. This year, a total of 538 cases were recorded from early January to last October.
“Of that figure, 95 per cent of the perpetrators among students are males.
“Although the crime index statistics reveal that the arrests of students has been declining, it is still at an alarming rate,” said Ayob Khan during his address at the launch of the Children and Teenagers Crime Awareness Module (Mekar) at the Horizon Hills Golf and Country Club here today.
The programme is a collaboration between the Johor police contingent and Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM).
Present was Johor police Crime Prevention and Community Safety Department (JPJKK) chief Senior Assistant Commissioner Alzafny Ahmad, UTM Deputy Vice Chancellor (research and innovation) Prof Datuk Ts Dr Ahmad Fauzi Ismail and Johor Education Department director Shaharuddin Saari.
Ayob Khan said victims for the reported criminal cases stood at 58 per cent consisting of female students, while the remainder 42 per cent were male students.
He said 99 per cent of the criminal offenders and victims are students aged between 13 and 18.
“For narcotics cases, 38 cases involving 67 students were reported in 2018, 33 cases involving 43 students in 2019, and 30 cases involving 36 students from January until October this year.
“All the drug cases involved secondary students caught with drug possession, consuming drugs, and consuming ketum,” said Ayob Khan
He added that although the number of cases involving students for narcotics cases in the three-year period has decreased, preventive measures need to be taken so that student involvement in criminal cases can be addressed.