Home Ministry Beefs Up Border Controls, Enhances Capabilities of AKPS and Marine Police

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 12 (Bernama) -- The Home Ministry (KDN) continues to strengthen security controls along the country's borders and at international entry points through the phased filling of posts in the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS), as well as continuous monitoring by the Marine Police Force.

Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said that to address the shortage of AKPS personnel, the ministry and the agency were also optimising duty assignments, strengthening cooperation with core agencies, leveraging technology and enhancing personnel skills.

He said the ministry and AKPS were also fine-tuning staffing requirements at each entry point based on their respective functions, through the development of an inclusive staffing model to be submitted 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 Anuar said the Marine Police Force conducted 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.

He said the government had also approved an allocation of RM70 million 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 the deployment of assets.

Meanwhile, on the control of foreign nationals entering the country and the abuse of social visit passes, Shamsul Anuar said the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) had conducted 11,808 operations up to last October, involving checks on 155,458 individuals, with 70,155 illegal immigrants arrested.

He said JIM had also imposed system restrictions on 1,561 Temporary Employment Visit Passes identified as being involved in pass forgery cases.

On prison overcrowding, he said the ministry had identified six development projects to provide additional accommodation capacity for up to 3,600 inmates. The projects involve Kota Bharu Central Prison, Lahad Datu Prison, the Royal Pahang Weaving Training Complex at Penor Prison, Sibu Prison, the Bagan Datuk Reintegration Centre and Sungai Buloh Drug Cluster Prison.

In addition, the government was optimising existing prison capacity through the management and redistribution of inmate placements, using two main approaches: increasing the physical capacity of prisons and reducing reliance on institutional confinement through inmate rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

Earlier, during the debate, several Members of Parliament raised issues concerning the country's border control and security, particularly maritime surveillance and efforts to combat smuggling and the entry of illegal immigrants.

Among them was Nordin Ahmad Ismail (PN-Lumut), 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.

Datuk Seri Sh Mohmed Puzi Sh Ali (BN-Pekan) 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, Teresa Kok Suh Sim (PH-Seputeh) supported an increase in allocations for the border control and protection segment under AKPS, particularly for the installation of 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 the Home Ministry'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.

-- BERNAMA