KOTA KINABALU – Sabah has recorded no cross-border crimes since the implementation of the movement control order (MCO), said Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Hazanah Ghazali.
However, he said police intelligence reports suggest that there had been attempts by groups from beyond the borders to enter Sabah illegally.
“The last cross-border crime was last year but the force was able to arrest the five suspects. Two guns were also confiscated.
“For this year, there’s no cross border crimes yet, just attempts to enter Sabah illegally.
"But we hope the construction of a security base by the Philippines near the Malaysia-Philippines border will curb the entries of their citizens into Sabah illegally," he said when met at the Sabah police headquarters in Kepayan, today.
Hazani said police have intensified border controls to bar the entry of illegal immigrants under an operation codenamed “Ops Benteng” since the implementation of the lockdown on January 13.
He said border control is part of the approach taken by the authorities to curb the spread of Covid-19 involving foreigners who entered Sabah illegally.
“We will continue this effort along with the security agency, Eastern Sabah Security Command and other agencies like the navy and the immigration department,” he said. – The Vibes, January 22, 2021.
