ANALYSING NEIGHBOURHOOD SAFETY FOR CHILDREN IN SHAH ALAM, MALAYSIA USING FUZZY-AHP AND GIS

Children could be vulnerable to being victims of kidnapping cases due to their cognitive level in perceiving safety. Until September 2023, 4,471 missing persons were reported all around Malaysia. As there is a growing concern regarding children’s safety, this study was conducted throughout the Shah Alam region as it is one of the biggest cities in Selangor, which has several factors contributing to kidnapping cases towards children. However, does every section in Shah Alam have a high level of safety and is suitable for children? Geographic Information System (GIS) and Fuzzy-Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) are used as the main processes in decision-making when identifying the Neighbourhood Safety for Children in Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. Based on previous studies, five (5) main criteria were selected, i.e., Perceived Safety, Transportation Accessibility, Land-Use, Public Facilities and Population Density. They were represented on the ground using the sub-criteria. Spatial data was collected, and 15 criterion maps were established, undergoing editing, rasterisation and reclassification. A pairwise comparison matrix was created to determine the weightage of these criteria, and Weighted Overlay Analysis was used to identify the safety level for each section. The results showed moderate neighbourhood safety (index level 5 or 6) for children in Shah Alam, with southern and western areas having worse safety levels (index value 4) compared to the middle and eastern parts. The safety index exhibits a random pattern (Moran I: -0.3333), indicating that it is spatially independent and unaffected by nearby sections. This index could help local authorities improve safety measures in the area.