KLANG: The crime rate in the country’s waters has showed an encouraging downward trend as a result of continuous operations and international collaborations by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA).
MMEA acting deputy director- general Maritime Rear Admiral Mohd Zawawi Abdullah said this could be seen through the drop in detention cases involving migrant smuggling.
He said cases under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act recorded an encouraging drop from 13 cases in 2022 to four last year.
“Throughout this year, the MMEA foiled 64 cases involving illegal immigrants, with 249 individuals detained,” he told a media conference after the closing of the Redback Operation 19/2024 between the MMEA and Australian Border Force (ABF) here yesterday, Bernama reported.
Also present were Australian High Commission ABF Counsellor Superintendent Brooke Leung and Selangor MMEA director Maritime Captain Abdul Muhaimin Muhammad Salleh.
Mohd Zawawi said a total of 60 inspections were carried out on all types of ships in the country’s waters, and one detention was made under the Fisheries Act 1985, which prohibits fishing in inshore waters up to five nautical miles from the coast.
He said the operation also involved dialogue sessions with the maritime community at Kampung Kelanang and Kompleks Agrotourism Persatuan Nelayan Kawasan in Sepang, Selangor.
“Through these dialogue sessions, we can strengthen cooperation with the maritime community, thus making it easier for the MMEA to obtain the latest information, particularly those related to cross-border crimes,” he said.
The operation was a result of the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and Australia in 2011, which also involved intelligence and information sharing on criminal tactics and modus operandi in the waters between both countries.
