‘Trusted people’ now behind 80% of sex crimes, says cop

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 80% of sexual crime cases involve culprits known or trusted by the victims, a senior Bukit Aman official said today, urging society to recognise that the biggest threat now was no longer from unknown persons, but rather from close circles such as family members, teachers, carers and others

Siti Kamsiah Hassan, an assistant director of Bukit Aman’s sexual, women and child investigation division, said her department had investigated a case involving a teacher believed to have committed sexual abuse against several primary school students, in addition to a similar trend being detected in several other states.

She said the increase in cases involving those close to children, including educators, has also raised concerns about the safety of children in schools because the perpetrators were people who were supposed to be protectors.

She said grooming usually occurs over a long period and involves more than one victim due to the predator’s easy access to children. “There are cases where the investigation found that the perpetrator kept various types of items and gifts to approach the victims,” she said.

To complicate matters, some parents would withdraw police reports on the grounds of wanting to protect the victim’s future, Kamsiah said. However, this resulted in making the perpetrator feel ‘invulnerable’ and allowed them to continue to seek other victims.

Kamsiah said there had been a significant increase in sexual crimes through popular online platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, Telegram and online gaming applications.

In one case, a 10-year-old girl had handed over dozens of pornographic images and videos to an online predator who then used the materials to blackmail the victim.

Kamsiah urged parents to master the digital “Emergency Assistance” steps to prevent important evidence from being destroyed before an official report is made.

“The immediate steps that must be taken are to remain calm and not delete any content, take a screenshot of the message or the suspect’s profile, note down the phone number or account involved, and not negotiate with the perpetrator, but instead cut off communication without deleting any digital traces,” she said.

Parents should not format or reset the victim’s smartphone, and should immediately file a police report to enable prompt tracking actions.