Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah
SIBU: Assistant Minister of Youth Development Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah praised the effort to set up the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) in all districts nationwide yesterday.
Abdul Karim, who is Asajaya assemblyman, was commenting on Home Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s statement that MCPF would set up branches in districts nationwide to curb crimes involving juveniles aged between seven and 14 years old.
“I do agree that crimes are being committed by those in the younger age group, and though it has not reached a critical stage, this is something for us to ponder and address because these young offenders will be getting older and we do not want them to continue their bad habits,” he added.
He pointed out that schools, NGOs (non-governmental bodies), and especially parents, had a big role to play in moulding youths so that they would not end up a menace to society.
“They must be guided to be responsible citizens even when they are still young,” he stressed.
“Hopefully all members of society could play their part as this cannot be addressed by the police or schools,” added Abdul Karim.
Ahmad Zahid Hamidi reportedly said crimes involving juveniles rose despite a drop in the 2014 crime index to 12.6 per cent since the Prevention of Crime Act 2013 was introduced.
He said based on the 2014 crime statistics, the number of cases which involved juveniles dropped by 17 per cent, while cases which involved school drop-outs rose by 29 per cent.
Sarawak Bumiputera Teachers Union (KGBS) too supported the effort to set up MCPF in all districts to curb crimes involving juveniles.
“For KGBS, this effort is one of the steps to fight crimes involving juveniles,” its president Ahmad Malie said.
“Therefore, it is also imperative that the government carries out a study to identify the causes of crimes involving juveniles among youth whether they are school dropouts or still schooling,” he said.
Ahmad Malie opined that with such a study, the causes could be identified and relevant actions could be planned besides efforts to intervene in juveniles cases.
He said it was KGBS’ fervent hope that cases involving juveniles could be dealt with effectively and efficiently in an effort to establish a peaceful and harmonious nation.