Police K9 unit to be stationed at Miri Airport

Police will beef up security measures at the Miri Airport, the country's fifth busiest airport, to prevent the state from becoming the transit point for drug smuggling.

Miri Police Chief ACP Gan Tian Kee said one such measures would be to station the K9 unit, specially trained dogs assisting police in enforcement activities, at the airport.

"We will be working discreetly and not all baggages would be checked because we understand religious sensitivity," he told reporters after the Miri police monthly gathering here today.

Gan said only baggages suspected of containing drugs after being scanned at the airport entry and exit points would be sniffed by the K9 unit.

Gan said, the additional security measures at Miri Airport was put in place following the arrest of a 21-year-old oil rig worker suspected of smuggling 115.5kg of syabu worth RM21 million, the state's largest drug seizure, at the Miri Airport on Dec 4, 2014.

He said since the security at the airport was under the purview of Malaysia Airports Berhad (MAB), police had, after the arrest of the suspect, disccused with MAB to tighten the security aspects because drug smuggling now became more complicated.

"We have one dog trained to sniff drugs regardless whether it was concealed inside the bags or boxes, it would be able to detect immediately whether the suspected packages contained drugs or not," he said.

At present, KL International Airport (KLIA) is the country's busiest airport followed by Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), Penang International Airport and Kuching International Airport (KIA).

Earlier Gan presented certificate of appreciation to Miri-based media including Bernama for their cooperation with the police in reducing the crime index in the city.

He hoped the close cooperation between the police and media here to continue to enable the police to further reduce the crime index this year.