Kampung Datu Baru Elderly Volunteers Keep Village Safe Through Night Patrols

By Ibrahim Mahsen

SIBU, March 17 (Bernama) -- While many of their peers prefer the comfort of home, a group of elderly residents in Kampung Datu Baru here continue to patrol the lanes of their neighbourhood to ensure the area remains safe and secure.

Despite being in their late 60s to mid-70s, the retirees remain committed to their duties under the Voluntary Patrol Scheme (SRS), which they have carried out for more than a decade.

Their story began in the early 2000s, when residents of the settlement, home to families originally from Kampung Datu Lama since the early 1990s, came together to find ways to curb crime and support police efforts in the area.

Out of those discussions, the Village Development and Security Committee (JKKK) was formed, and neighbourhood patrols soon became a key activity.

Kampung Datu Baru Neighbourhood Watch (KRT) secretary Abang Kamalludin Abang Hamdan recalled that in the early days, participation from villagers was strong.

“At that time, many residents joined. They were divided into several groups, and patrols usually started around midnight until 2 am several times a week. We walked through the village carrying torches and checked every corner,” he told Bernama.

The patrols not only strengthened security but also brought neighbours closer together, as residents took pride in protecting their community.

For Abang Kamalludin, a retired firefighter, the experience has not always been calm. He once encountered an intruder at his own home after returning from a night shift, a moment that underscored the importance of the patrols.

“Years of persistence have paid off. Cases of house break-ins and theft have declined, and late-night loitering in the village has become less common,” he said.

Today, however, the patrol team has grown smaller. Only about 12 members remain active, most of them elderly.

Despite that, the group continues its duty. Twice a week, from 10 pm until midnight, they ride motorcycles through all 12 lanes of Kampung Datu Baru, keeping watch for anything suspicious.

Abang Kamalludin hopes younger residents will eventually step forward to continue what the older generation started.

“We cannot force anyone to join, but we hope the younger generation will help. One day they will inherit this village,” he said.

The team’s dedication has not gone unnoticed. The Kampung Datu Baru SRS group received the Excellent SRS Management Award in 2015 and was named Best SRS Team for the Sibu Division in 2025 by the National Unity and Integration Department.

For these elderly volunteers, however, the real reward is far simpler: knowing that their village remains safe. Even as age catches up with them, they continue their rounds - proof that safeguarding a community is a responsibility shared by all, regardless of age.

-- BERNAMA