Police personnel will be deployed alongside aviation security teams at airports following the arrest of a Malaysia Airlines pilot in Jakarta over alleged drug trafficking.
Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said the Home and Transport ministries informed the cabinet today that several immediate improvements were needed.
“Firstly, regarding aviation security, police personnel need to be deployed, because at present the team handling this consists of auxiliary police personnel,” the communications minister said during a weekly post-cabinet press conference in Putrajaya.
Fahmi said Malaysia Airlines Group would also be asked to review its background and health screening protocols for pilots and co-pilots.
He added that the police and Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) had been instructed to identify weaknesses that could be exploited.
“Apart from that, the police and MCBA have been asked to examine aspects that could potentially be abused, including any gaps or loopholes that may exist, and these need to be closed and addressed immediately,” he said.
Fahmi said the cabinet had so far only received an oral briefing on the case and would await a full report before deciding on further action.
“Given that the case in Indonesia is still active, we need some time to examine the full report. We will study it and consider the necessary follow-up actions.
“Once we receive the full report on the incident, we need to determine who else may have been involved.
“Those involved must be brought to justice, and we need to determine what comprehensive measures must be taken to ensure that the existing gaps are closed,” he added.
No discussion on reviving elite units
On reviving three former elite police task forces amid fresh calls for their reinstatement, Fahmi said the cabinet did not discuss it today.
“You may refer the matter to the home minister,” he added.
Earlier today, MCA vice-president Lawrence Low urged the government to bring back the Special Task Force for Anti-Vice, Gaming and Gangsterism, Special Tactical Intelligence Narcotics Group, and Special Task Force on Organised Crime.
“Incidents such as these clearly show that drug syndicates and organised crime groups are becoming increasingly brazen and are no longer intimidated by the existing enforcement system,” Low said.
He claimed their abolition had left “a major vacuum” in the police force’s tactical and intelligence capabilities.
“The re-establishment of these three entities is critically important at this time to strengthen enforcement and tactical operations against drug trafficking syndicates in an integrated manner,” he added.
The three units, established in 2014 to combat vice and gangsterism, drug trafficking, and organised crime, were disbanded in June 2018 following a police restructuring under the Pakatan Harapan government.
The Home Ministry at that time said that their functions overlapped with existing Bukit Aman units, and their personnel and duties were subsequently absorbed into other police departments.
Low cited the pilot’s arrest in Jakarta and a separate case involving a Malaysian detained at Juanda International Airport in Surabaya after allegedly trying to smuggle methamphetamine and ecstasy concealed beneath a corset.
The pilot was arrested in Jakarta on July 28 after Indonesian authorities allegedly found more than 70,000 ecstasy pills and 2.7g of methamphetamine in his possession.
He has been remanded for 20 days, from July 30 to Aug 18, while investigations continue.
On Monday, Bukit Aman Narcotics Crime Investigation Department director Hussein Omar Khan confirmed ongoing joint investigations into both the Jakarta and Surabaya arrests, with authorities looking into possible links to a larger cross-border drug trafficking syndicate. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.