TAWAU: The Sabah Region 4 Marine Police (PPM) are stepping up efforts to combat cross–border crimes in the state’s waters, including by forging cooperation with their counterparts in the Philippines and Indonesia.
Its Commander, ACP Mohamad Pajeri Ali, said the marine police are mobilising all elements and assets to build on their success in checking cross–border crimes.
“For example, PPM recorded 84 arrest cases from January to June this year under the Customs Act 1967 and Control of Supplies Act 1961, with seizures valued at RM13,041,943.
“Last year, PPM seized smuggled goods worth RM18 million and arrested 1,439 individuals,“ he told Bernama here today.
Mohamad Pajeri said the marine police have developed a security network with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Indonesia’s Marine Police Unit (Polair) to ensure the effectiveness of cross–border crime–prevention efforts.
“The Sabah coast line is 1,860 km long, extending from Teluk Brunei to Sebatik Island, Tawau, and the state’s waters cover 52,194 km².
“Sabah shares borders with the Philippines and Indonesia; that is why we need a collaborative network to combat cross–border crimes, especially smuggling activities,“ he said.
According to Mohamad Pajeri, among the collaborative efforts undertaken with the PNP and Indonesia’s Polair was the rendezvous point (RV) programme to facilitate information sharing.
“We plan to have RV on a monthly basis with Indonesia’s Polair in the Tawau waters, Sebatik Island, while the meeting with PNP would be done once every four months,“ he said, adding that the rendezvous point programme was mooted by PPM.
Since January this year, the marine police have received information on one case of a terrorist group and 12 cross–border crime cases.
He stressed that the vast expanse of Sabah’s waters would not prevent the marine police from continuing to monitor and take action to curb illegal activities, including smuggling. — Bernama
