SEREMBAN: The Home Ministry prioritises the upgrading of numerous dilapidated police stations and district police headquarters (IPD) nationwide using funding allocated in Budget 2025, says Saifuddin Nasution Ismail.
Its Minister said that many of the 850 police stations and IPDs were constructed during the 1970s and 1980s, and some border control posts require significant upgrades to ensure the comfort and effectiveness of personnel carrying out their duties.
"We cannot simply increase manpower or multiply control centres; instead, we must focus on technology and innovation. For instance, employing drones can facilitate data collection at our national borders.
"However, full implementation is hindered by fundamental constraints, including the existence of 850 police stations, many of which are dilapidated,” he said.
He said this after the inaugural Lecture with the Home Minister programme at Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Negeri Sembilan Branch, Seremban Campus 3. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain also attended the event.
"Developing human resources with extensive expertise in this field is key. This is the global trend, where countries prioritise the integration of technology... Imagine the challenge of managing land and sea borders that stretch nearly 4,000 kilometres,” he said.
"Not to mention the assets required for surveillance - helicopters, ships, and other land, sea, and air monitoring equipment. Therefore, we had to allocate the approved budget towards improving and upgrading these assets.
He added that once fundamental issues are resolved, investments can be directed toward addressing current demands, particularly mastering new knowledge essential for maintaining national peace and stability.
In Budget 2025, presented on Friday (Oct 18), the Home Ministry received an allocation of RM19.5bil. Of this amount, RM15.5bil is designated for operating expenditure, while RM4bil is earmarked for development expenditure. – Bernama
