PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) requires the expertise of the police to tackle challenges at the country's entry points, particularly the smuggling of contraband, says Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain.
The AKPS director-general said that as the sole enforcement agency at Malaysia’s entry points, the agency needs the experience, expertise and manpower of the police to cripple the smuggling of prohibited items.
“The police could play a more significant role in strengthening the agency, especially in areas requiring specialised skills and operational experience. While AKPS has officers and personnel from six other core agencies with their own strengths, trained and experienced manpower from the police is greatly needed.
“Closer cooperation or a more systematic approach between the police and AKPS could have a much greater impact on individuals, cartels or drug syndicates,” he said in a special session with the media recently.
Currently, the police are not among the six core agencies within AKPS, although the agency is headed by a director-general from the police force. Comm Mohd Shuhaily explained that, because the police are not designated as a core agency, their deployment to AKPS is limited, which affects intelligence gathering and enforcement against drug smuggling at main entry points.
“Police officers possess extensive operational knowledge, established networks and enforcement experience that would greatly benefit AKPS, particularly in managing border security risks. There are certain areas where the expertise and experience of the police are very much needed by AKPS, especially given the level of risk involved in these duties.
“I can only voice my views and make the request. Ultimately, policy decisions rest with the country’s top leadership,” he said.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily, who joined AKPS about six months ago, said discussions on whether the police should be a core agency began as early as 2018. “There must have been reasonable grounds for the police not being designated as a core agency,” he said.
He added that his views stem from his experience in the police force and his understanding of security requirements at the nation’s entry points, stressing that efforts to strengthen AKPS should start with human resource development.
