Malaysia, UK to step up cooperation against Daish threat - Ahmad Zahid

Malaysia and the United Kingdom are to step up cooperation in tackling the threat of Daish militants, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also the Home Minister, said this was the highlight of the discussions he had with UK Minister of State for Defence Procurement Philip Dunne who called on him at his office here today.

The cooperation also involved exchange of information via Interpol, collaboration among the Royal Malaysia Police, Scotland Yard and the UK authorities as well as the monitoring of social media, he told reporters after the meeting.

Ahmad Zahid said the digital counter-messaging communication centre would become operational in Malaysia in May and he hoped that bilateral cooperation would be strengthened further then.

He also said that the modernisation of the policing programme was also discussed, especially in terms of procuring more advanced equipment and systems from the United Kingdom.

Ahmad Zahid said the programme was at the stage of identification of the equipment and systems and involved a switch from the analogue to the digital which many countries had done.

He said they also discussed security arrangements along the country's borders.

"Dunne proposed that the technology applied in the United Kingdom be combined for use in Malaysia because we have a relatively long maritime border besides the land border in the north of the peninsula and in Sabah and Sarawak," he said.