KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will strengthen border control and crime prevention in its interior Nabawan district near Kalimantan with the construction of a new police headquarters there.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said construction of the Nabawan district police headquarters and housing, with an allocation ceiling of RM150mil, is expected to begin in January.
"This project represents a strategic investment by the government in strengthening security capabilities, law enforcement and service delivery to the people, particularly in the Nabawan district and its surrounding areas.
"We do not merely want to see this project completed, but also to ensure that the facilities provide long-term benefits," he said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the project in Nabawan on Tuesday (Oct 20).
Also present were Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohd Khalid Ismail, State Secretary Datuk Zainudin Aman and Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun.
The Chief Minister said the project was particularly important given the district’s strategic location bordering Indonesia, which called for stronger capabilities to address cross-border crime and illegal activities.
Hajiji said these threats called for integrated, effective and sustained enforcement measures, including strengthening police capabilities in terms of personnel, infrastructure, operational facilities and administrative systems.
He said the Nabawan police station, established in 1976, currently came under the Keningau police district administration.
With Nabawan covering an administrative area of 6,089sq km, Hajiji said a more structured policing system is needed that meets security requirements.
He also stressed that security is a fundamental pillar of the state’s development, as sustainable economic growth cannot be achieved without a peaceful, stable and secure environment.
