PORT DICKSON: The Immigration Department will deploy more officers at the country’s key entry points in Kuala Lumpur and Johor to reduce congestion, says Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
The Home Minister said initially, 100 officers who ended training today (May 21), will be stationed at strategic locations, including Sultan Iskandar Building and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Johor, while another 100 officers will be assigned to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) 1 and 2 from tomorrow (May 22).
"Most importantly, we will deploy them to those locations as there were shortages previously... besides the quick response team we set up ad hoc previously, I’m optimistic their deployment will solve the issue of congestion at entry points.
"We have 140 entry points, so we can add more (staff) at other points as we are determined to reduce congestion at strategic entry points, so of course deploying them there is a priority compared with other areas,” he told reporters after attending the end of training ceremony at the Malaysian Immigration Academy here.
The 200 officers are from the batch of 222 officers, who finished their training today, and the remainder will be assigned to the Putrajaya Security and Passport Division, the Malaysian Immigration Academy and the Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Selangor and Sarawak Immigration Departments.
Saifuddin Nasution also said that the Immigration Department contributed RM5.2bil to the national collection through its services, levies, and other programmes, including the workforce recalibration programme.
He said the department’s significant contribution to the country is not only in terms of revenue and an economic growth stimulus, but also in terms of security and public order.
He said that from Jan 1 to May 18, the department carried out 3,147 enforcement operations with 35,387 individuals checked and 21,125 illegal immigrants detained. – Bernama
