“We estimate AKPS needs around 400 investigation officers”
PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia’s border control agency is seeking to build its own investigation and prosecution capability, with plans to recruit and train about 400 investigation officers as it moves to reduce reliance on other enforcement bodies.
Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (Agensi Kawalan dan Perselindungan Sempadan, AKPS) director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain said the agency currently lacks sufficient investigative manpower despite handling enforcement at key entry points nationwide.
He said AKPS at present has only four deputy public prosecutors (DPPs), who are largely engaged in legal advisory and legislative work, rather than full prosecution duties.
“We estimate AKPS needs around 400 investigation officers.
“That is a challenge for us, as we must train from our existing strength and also through future recruitment,” he said during a press conference after delivering his mandate address to AKPS personnel at the Putrajaya headquarters today.
Shuhaily said expertise from the police force was crucial in accelerating the agency’s maturity in enforcement work.
“I have said before that police expertise is needed to mature AKPS in a shorter time if we receive assistance from the police.
“It is indeed our aspiration that we investigate our own cases and prosecute them ourselves,” he said.
He said the four DPPs currently attached to AKPS were, for now, focused more on advising in legal drafting and regulatory matters, but would eventually take on prosecution work as the agency’s investigative arm strengthens.
The move comes as AKPS intensifies enforcement at major entry points, including ports, amid ongoing concerns over smuggling and leakage activities.
Shuhaily pointed to recent container inspections at Port Klang, saying enforcement there had been stepped up under new leadership.
“It is still too premature for me to declare Port Klang a complete success. The new leadership there has not even been in place for a month and is still in the process of understanding container movement procedures,” he said.
He added that placing a senior police officer at the location had ensured investigative thinking took priority.
“When he saw cargo that might be brought in wrongly and criminal activity in front of him, as a police officer and enforcement officer he acted. That led to the first discoveries,” he said.
He said two containers containing frozen meat were first detected, followed by containers of electronic waste (e-waste).
“From checks on 10 containers, we detected five. Shortly after that, on Friday, we found another six out of nine. These efforts will continue with Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission, the police, Customs and other agencies,” he said.
Earlier during his mandate address, Shuhaily also referred to a major scheduled waste case uncovered at Port Klang, involving a significant volume of electronic waste.
“In Port Klang, we recently detected containers involving scheduled waste, including electronic waste. The total involved reached about 125 tonnes,” he said.
He said the discovery highlighted the scale of attempts to move prohibited or regulated materials through entry points and underscored the need for tighter enforcement.
On integrity issues within enforcement, Shuhaily described the problem as long-standing and difficult to eliminate quickly.
“When something has gone on for a long time, it becomes a culture. It becomes a lifestyle.
“That is the challenge for AKPS: to remove old habits. If it cannot be eliminated immediately, it must at least be eroded,” he said.
He said changing such entrenched practices could not be done overnight, but remained a key focus as AKPS continues consolidating border control functions nationwide.
During his New Year mandate address earlier, Shuhaily pointed to early 2026 enforcement results as a sign of tightening border control.
“Early this year at Bukit Kayu Hitam, we recorded nearly RM1.5 million in seizures under January operations. This shows that our borders are no longer as easy as before,” he said.
He added that AKPS officers stationed at high-risk locations had begun facing safety threats, describing it as part of the sacrifice required in law enforcement duties.
