Disciplinary problems among students are becoming a serious concern as 3,725 students were arrested for various offences involving 2,218 crime cases throughout the country, Harian Metro reported.

The figure was up from 1,836 cases in 2007 involving 3,383 students aged between 13 and 18 years.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan said that the situation was dire and had to be tackled immediately.

He said studies conducted by the Malay-sian Institute of Research for Youth Development found that students in this age group were involved in various crimes such as murder, rape, robbery and theft.

"Studies conducted by Malaysian Studies on Psychology and Development centre showed that 87% of the 'mat rempit' in the country were mostly students aged between 14 and 25 years," he said in Kuala Lumpur.

--The Star/ANN