GEORGE TOWN: There is an alarming trend of juvenile crimes in Penang with statistics of 1,251 arrests, including rape offences, from July 2021 to November this year.

Penang police chief Datuk Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said those arrested were between 10 and 19 years old and comprised 86 per cent or 1,078 males while the rest were females.

Based on Penang's contingent index crime statistics, rape crimes reported from July 2021 to last November was 96 cases with 77 arrests involving juveniles, a reflection that rape among minors is a worrying concern.

"In fact, what worries police is that most of the rape cases are committed by suspects known to the victims, this indirectly gives the impression of consensual sex, that this factor of free sex is too prevalent among those under-age at the time," he said here today.

He was a representative of the Penang Police Contingent participating in the panel of a townhall session at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) cultural hall discussing a topic entitled 'Youth and Crime: Issues and Challenges'.


Also on the panel were motivational expert Mohamed Hanafiah Malek, USM Policy Research Centre and International Studies lecturer Associate Prof Dr Abdul Rashid Mohamad and Datuk Dr P. Sudramoothy as moderator of the discussion.

Commenting further, Mohd Shuhaily said the demographics of those involved in the crime of rape also showed up teenagers from the B40 group.

"What we are worried about is the fate of the victims, the stigma in the community and what is the solution to this issue. Our concern is over the teenagers involved who dismiss it as a normal life for them and over time, they are proud of the number of boys they know (a social conquest)," he said.

Meanwhile, he said factors such as a negative environment, broken family institutions, socio-economic issues, level of education and a lack of religious conscience indirectly caused teenagers to be caught up in uncontrollable juvenile offences.

According to him, the age of teenagers involved indicates they are in the phase of growing up to adulthood and the transition from childhood creates an attitude of experimentation, in addition to undergoing physiological (hormonal rush), physical, social and emotional changes.

"That's why they need to be guided so that they don't go astray and fail to manage their lives well, this should not be taken for granted because teenagers are a pillar to the country's leadership in the future," he said.

-- BERNAMA