KUANTAN: Schools must not hesitate to lodge police reports regarding bullying incidents to enable early intervention before problems escalate.
Kuantan police chief ACP Ashari Abu Samah emphasised that schools should actively cooperate with police by maintaining regular communication with their assigned school liaison officers.
He stated that full cooperation from educational institutions would allow authorities to intervene promptly and prevent situations from worsening.
ACP Ashari acknowledged that some schools previously attempted to conceal such matters to protect their institutional reputation.
He described this approach as unhealthy and warned that it could become a cancerous element within the education system.
The police chief made these remarks after officiating an anti-bullying town hall session organised by the Kuantan district police headquarters.
The event gathered school principals and teachers from across the district for discussions on addressing bullying.
ACP Ashari revealed that no bullying cases were reported to the Kuantan district police headquarters between January and July this year.
He urged parents to remain vigilant and not rely solely on teachers for their children’s education and moral development.
The police chief noted that most bullying incidents tend to occur in boarding school environments.
He reminded everyone that bullying acts constitute criminal offences under Section 507 of the Penal Code.
ACP Ashari identified dominance-seeking behaviour, media influence, and family economic background as possible contributing factors to bullying incidents. – Bernama
