KUALA SELANGOR: Women can play an important role in raising awareness on crime and keeping a watchful eye over their neighbourhoods, says Selangor police chief Comm Datuk Arjunaidi Mohamed.
He added that stay-at-home mothers or housewives were the ones who could shape the younger generation into becoming responsible citizens.
“These women are the ones who can teach their children to stay away from social ills and crime,” he said after launching the Taman Angkat Amanita at Taman Penggawa here yesterday.
Arjunaidi said housewives could help by keeping watch over their neighbourhoods and be the eyes and ears of law enforcement.
“This is the main reason why we are conducting programmes such as these to bridge the gap between the police and the community.
“Housewives are not only acting as liaisons for the police through Amanita, but they can also help spread information and awareness on crimes including online scams,” he added.
He said between January and June this year, the police had arrested 1,364 suspected bank account mules in Selangor.
“We arrested 928 men and 436 women. Some of these women were housewives.
“People become mules for a number of reasons, including selling their accounts for a payment of between RM100 and RM600.
“Some are victims who have surrendered their bank account cards to loan sharks,” he said, adding that in most cases, these bank accounts were used by online scam syndicates.
Arjunaidi said online scams had increased following the Covid-19 pandemic and efforts had been stepped up to stop such activities.
“This is why we are engaging the community so that we can spread awareness about these crimes so people don’t become victims,” he said.