Sarawak govt ready to help in getting more sniffer dogs for drug-detection ops — Minister

KUCHING (Jan 27): The Sarawak government is prepared to provide further assistance towards enhancing the use of sniffer dogs through the relevant agencies such as the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Customs Department.

In stating this, Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dato Sri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah acknowldedged that the state government would be unable to act as the handler or caretaker of the dogs, but he also gave assurance that it should be able to contribute financially.

“The sniffer dogs can then be deployed to serve in Sarawak, as we have many entry points such as airports and ports,” he said during a press conference, held after the National Association for Prevention of Drugs (Pemadam) Sarawak Coordination Meeting 2026 yesterday.

Abdul Karim, who is also Pemadam Sarawak chairman, noted that the state government had previously contributed funds for the purchase of sniffer dogs, adding that their use remained one of the most effective preventive methods in terms of detecting drugs.

“However, it is quite difficult for the Malaysian government to increase the number of sniffer dogs due to the complicated training process.

“Each dog must be trained by the same trainer throughout its lifetime,” he said.

The state minister also highlighted a proposal raised by the Customs Department concerning drug-smuggling through entry points, such as through parcel deliveries.

“The volume of parcels entering the country daily is very high, while the use of sniffer dogs is limited as each dog is trained to detect only certain types of drugs,” he said, adding that most existing scanning machines were capable of detecting only metal, not narcotic substances.

In this matter, Abdul Karim said Pemadam Sarawak fully supported the Customs Department’s proposal of requiring all parcel deliveries within Malaysia to include complete and valid sender’s information, including identification card number, address and contact details.

“If such information is incomplete, it could compromise investigations into the identity of the sender.

“This measure is important in facilitating the investigations and preventing cases from failing in court due to insufficient evidence,” he pointed out.

Abdul Karim further stressed the need of streamlining post-arrest procedures, particularly in determining which agency was responsible for conducting the investigations.

“At times, cases are handed over to the National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) without due consideration as to whether the agency is adequately equipped to conduct interrogations or handle the prosecution.

“Without a legal background and prosecution training, it would be difficult to carry out effective investigations. This is a fundamental issue that should be addressed at the Home Affairs Ministry level.”

Also present were Deputy Minister in Sarawak Premier’s Department (Law, State-Federal Relations and Malaysia Agreement 1963) Datuk Sharifah Hasidah Sayeed, who is also Pemadam Sarawak deputy chairwoman; Pemadam Sarawak executive secretary Munawar Ismail; and Unit for Other Religions (Unifor) director Datuk Georgina Apphia Ngau.