PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will prioritise the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency's (MMEA) need to increase its personnel, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said the agency's needs will be discussed with the ministry's secretary-general soon, especially in adding to its ranks.
"The needs of the agency should be the highest priority given the complexity of threats and the large area covered by its patrols and operations.
"Increasing the agency's capabilities through acquiring new assets is a reasonable priority," he told reporters after attending the agency's Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration on Monday (April 19).
Saifuddin said the decision to buy four helicopters worth a total of RM600mil has been finalised at the ministry level.
"The (acquisition) will then be referred to the Finance Ministry for a final decision," he said.
Saifuddin also announced that the US Coast Guard has offered to give two patrol boats to the MMEA as a gesture of cooperation.
"The offer was made when I had a working visit to the United States in September last year.
"If Malaysia is willing, they (US Coast Guard) want to hand over the assets to Malaysia, to mark the close cooperation of the two countries, especially the two agencies in sharing information, expertise and experience in guarding maritime borders.
"The US Coast Guard sees Malaysia as a country it could learn from as our maritime border is 590,000sq km and given the complexity of the threats we face," he said.
Saifuddin said MMEA has been instructed to evaluate the capabilities of the assets offered.
"The officer assigned will present a report before a decision is made," he said.
On another matter, Saifuddin said Ops Khas Pagar Laut, which entered its fourth phase since its launch on March 12, has recorded 175 arrests.
"The operation also saw various items worth RM15mil seized.
"It shows the importance of guarding our maritime border even during Hari Raya," he said.
Among those who attended the event was acting MMEA director-general Datuk Saiful Lizan Ibrahim.
