SIBU: Malaysian police have been instructed to put up a recommendation for the establishment of a special border security unit to detect drug smugglers, including installation of scanners at all entry points and smaller airports.
In giving this instruction here the other day, Deputy Home Minister Dato Sri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the proposed unit would cover all strategic entry points in the country.
“The unit is to be manned by highly trained officers and men who are, among other things, able to detect ‘the body language’ of visitors,” Wan Junaidi told media.
He was reacting to Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan’s statement that the government was looking into the possibility of equipping smaller airports in Sarawak and Sabah with high-tech scanners to beef up enforcement against drug smuggling.
Ahmad reportedly said the government needed to act quickly on this as drug smugglers were changing their tactics and smuggling drugs through smaller airports with no scanning facilities.
Ahmad further added it would be top priority and that he would propose to the top officials of the Finance Ministry to study the matter.
Customs director-general Datuk Seri Khazali Ahmad was quoted to have said that smaller airports in Sarawak and Sabah were now being targeted by drug smugglers for transporting drugs as these airports had no scanning facilities and faced a shortage of manpower.
KLIA Customs director Datuk Chik Omar Chik Lim reportedly said the Mulu Airport in Sarawak was suspected to be among the entry points for drug smugglers because it did not have a scanning machine.
Wan Junaidi, who is Santubong MP, said the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police were very well aware of the drug traffickers shifting their point of entry to smaller entry points, like Kuching, KK, Johor, and Bayan Lepas.
He assured that he had instructed police to tighten up checks in Labuan.
“That was why from the day I assumed the post of Deputy Minister of the (Home Affairs) Ministry, I asked for scanners to be installed at every point, land, sea and air.
“I knew the importance of the scanner to security personnel who manned the entry points, especially to detect drugs and weapons,” he added.
Wan Junaidi explained that the entry points referred are to include the CIQ and ordinary and strategic entry to Malaysia, like land and sea checkpoints.
He pointed out that scanners for entry points are under the jurisdiction of the Customs Department and to be provided for the Ministry of Finance.
“That was why a couple of months ago, I discussed with the Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan to quickly replace the spoilt scanners at Bukit Kayu Hitam and Padang Bedar with new functional scanners.
“And at the same time, install scanners at all entry points,” he said.
Towards this end, Wan Junaidi expressed his appreciation to the Ministry of Finance which finally agreed to look seriously into the installation of scanners at every entry point, and not just airports.