BUKIT MERTAJAM: Hikers are advised to scan the Check Point Tracker with their mobile phones before they start hiking the Cherok To’kun Forest Park in Bukit Mertajam, Penang.

The Check Point Tracker, in the form of a QR code, is jointly initiated by the Bukit Mertajam Fire and Rescue Department and Penang Forestry Department, for the safety of hikers.

A signboard is erected at the entrance of the forest park informing hikers to scan first before they start hiking.

They are to ensure that the mobile phone used to scan the QR code displays various checkpoints along the trail.

If a hiker has diverted from the original route, he will need to look for the closest checkpoint to return to the route or seek help from the closest checkpoint to contact the rescue team if he is injured.

Hikers welcome the innovative measure to minimise the incidence of straying inside the forest park.

In August alone, more than 20 cases of hikers seeking help were reported in the forest park.

A regular hiker told Sin Chew Daily two to three hikers got lost in a week, sometimes even two in a single day.