RHB Banking Group gives tips on crime prevention to school children

KOTA KINABALU, April 04, 2008: The RHB Banking Group yet again continues to excel in its role as a caring corporate citizen by visiting 2 schools here for a presentation on their CSR Booklet – “Crime Prevention Tips for Kids” – a result of efforts by the banking group with the cooperation and guidance of the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), endorsed by the Ministry of Education.

400 students from SK Sri Gaya and SK St Agnes were educated on crime prevention tips by the RHB Banking Group’s CSR team. Also present were representatives from the schools’ Parent-Teacher Association, District Police and District Education Department. The 12-page booklet, which was officially launched jointly with the Ministry of Education and the PDRM, contains a series of do’s and dont’s that children can follow to ensure their own safety when out of sight of their parents, guardians or teachers.

The tips are in two languages – English and Bahasa Malaysia – and illustrated with caricatures to make it more attractive to young children. A total of 150,000 copies of the booklet have already been distributed to 170 primary schools in urban areas across the country.

“This is our effort to help make children more aware of the dangers of their surroundings, particularly when they are on the way to school or waiting to be picked up after school,” said Datuk Azlan Zainol, Chairman of RHB Bank Bhd and Director of RHB Capital Bhd.

“With an increasing incidence of young children being abducted, we feel that this is the least we can do to help protect our young ones. After all, it is every person’s responsibility to create a safe environment for our children,” he added.

This effort to create awareness amongst children is part of the RHB Banking Group’s CSR programme called “Missing Children – Reuniting Families” that was launched in collaboration with the PDRM on 23 July 2007.

Under the CSR programme, RHB Banking Group will use its resources, specifically its network of about 180 branches nationwide, to disseminate information about missing children by distributing leaflets and posters. The advertisements in the newspapers also come under this endeavor.

“As part of this on-going CSR activity, the RHB Banking Group also aims to play a bigger role in educating children and raising their awareness of crime prevention methods by working in partnership with the Police, NGOs and the community. We are pleased to state that the RHB Banking Group is the first corporation within the private sector to embark on a CSR programme of this nature,”said Datuk Azlan Zainol.

This initiative is the first since its official launch in February 2008. 15 primary schools from 6 major cities nationwide have been earmarked for the roadshow, which is expected to run until June 2008.

Issued by Group Corporate Communications, RHB Capital Bhd. For more information, please call Mastura Adnan at 012-3162960 or Adeline Ong at 012-8833345.