Anwar Ibrahim approves RM22 million to equip AKPS officers with weapons, boosting border security and enhancing protection in high-risk areas.
KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has approved RM22 million for the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) to be equipped with appropriate weapons for its border security duties, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution said.
Saifuddin said he had written to the Prime Minister following a shooting incident involving an AKPS commander in Bukit Kayu Hitam during Ramadan, raising concerns over the agency’s preparedness in high-risk border areas.
“I wrote to the Prime Minister on the need for AKPS to be equipped with the necessary weapons.
“AKPS has several agencies under it that do not yet have the skills to use firearms. If it involves the police component, that is normal.
“But if it involves the Health Ministry, doctors who are also under the component do not have that skill,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
He said the approval was granted immediately to meet operational requirements.
“The Prime Minister has given immediate approval, with an allocation of RM22 million, to equip AKPS with weapons that are deemed reasonable and suitable for their duties at the border,” he said.
Saifuddin was responding to Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan (PN–Kota Bharu), who asked about actions taken following the Bukit Kayu Hitam shooting incident.
Takiyuddin had raised concerns that AKPS personnel faced security threats, including lack of firearms and bulletproof vests, as well as integrity risks involving bribery, intimidation and pressure from smugglers.
On integrity issues, Saifuddin said corruption risks at border checkpoints were often linked to long procedures, red tape and multiple agencies involved in clearance processes.
He said AKPS was established partly to address these issues by centralising border control under a single command structure.
“If border control requires more than 20 agencies to be involved, with one process after another, that is among the factors that encourage such conduct.
“But if there is only one agency, namely AKPS, we can reduce bureaucracy, and it can become a good formula to reduce corruption-related risks,” he said.
Saifuddin said early outcomes showed the agency was moving in the right direction, citing drug seizures, enforcement against prohibited goods and inspections of e-waste shipments at ports.
“Was the decision to create AKPS the right one? I am confident it was the right decision.
“Is AKPS moving in the right direction? The answer is yes, in capital letters and bold,” he added.
