KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 — The Home Ministry (KDN) continues to strengthen security controls along the country's borders and at international entry points by phasing in posts in the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), as well as through continuous monitoring by the Marine Police Force.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said that to address the shortage of AKPS personnel, the ministry and the agency are also optimising duty assignments, strengthening cooperation with core agencies, leveraging technology, and enhancing personnel skills.
KDN and AKPS are also fine-tuning staffing requirements at each entry point based on their respective functions by developing an inclusive staffing model to submit to the central agency for consideration.
"We hope and expect these ongoing measures to narrow the personnel shortfall and improve the alignment of staffing levels with AKPS' operational requirements," he said when winding up the debate on the Supply (Budget) Bill 2027 at the committee stage for the ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.
On maritime border security, Shamsul said the Marine Police Force conducts 24-hour patrols and surveillance through routine, periodic, and planned operations in hotspots for migrant smuggling, controlled goods smuggling, and encroachment into territorial waters, including along the Malaysia-Thailand border.
The government has also approved a RM70 million allocation under the Fifth Rolling Plan of the 13th Malaysia Plan for the construction of the Batu Putih Post in Perlis under the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), including a water post for deploying assets.
Meanwhile, on the control of foreign nationals entering the country and the abuse of social visit passes, he said the Immigration Department conducted 11,808 operations up to last October, involving checks on 155,458 individuals, with 70,155 illegal immigrants arrested.
It also imposed system restrictions on 1,561 Temporary Employment Visit Passes linked to pass forgery cases.
On prison overcrowding, Shamsul said KDN has identified six development projects to provide additional accommodation capacity for up to 3,600 inmates. The projects involve the Kota Bharu Central Prison, the Lahad Datu Prison, the Royal Pahang Weaving Training Complex at Penor Prison, the Sibu Prison, the Bagan Datuk Reintegration Centre, and the Sungai Buloh Drug Cluster Prison.
In addition, the government is optimising existing prison capacity by managing and redistributing inmate placements through two main approaches: increasing prison capacity and reducing reliance on institutional confinement through inmate rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.
Earlier, during the debate, several MPs raised issues concerning Malaysia's border control and security, particularly maritime surveillance and efforts to combat smuggling and the entry of illegal immigrants.
Among them was Lumut MP Nordin Ahmad Ismail, who questioned whether the allocation was sufficient to strengthen the deployment of MMEA assets in high-risk areas off Sabah and Sarawak, as well as the progress of integrating radar systems and surveillance drones to enable earlier detection of incursions.
Pekan MP Datuk Seri Sh Mohmed Puzi Sh Ali urged the government to tighten controls at the country's entry points and borders, including through online registration, to address issues involving illegal immigrants, the use of forged documents, and entry through illegal routes.
Meanwhile, Seputeh MP Teresa Kok Suh Sim supported an increase in allocations for the border control and protection segment under AKPS, particularly for installing fencing and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras along the Malaysia-Thailand border to curb the smuggling of subsidised goods.
During the same debate, several MPs, including those from Hulu Langat, Bukit Bendera, Tenom, and Kepong, expressed sadness and extended their sympathies to the police personnel who suffered a severed hand after being slashed by a foreign national yesterday, while praying for his recovery.
The Dewan Rakyat subsequently approved KDN's 2027 operating and development expenditure estimates amounting to RM21,982,691,300 by a majority voice vote, following a debate by 24 MPs.
The Dewan Rakyat sitting resumes on Monday (November 16).
