PUTRAJAYA, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Immigration Department of Malaysia (JIM) today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen the country's enforcement capabilities in tackling increasingly complex and sophisticated cross-border crimes.
Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said the cooperation focuses on four main pillars, namely capacity building, intelligence sharing, joint investigations and joint operations, in line with the need for enforcement agencies to adapt to changing criminal modus operandi.
“The initiative by JIM and MCMC is the right step to combine the strengths of these two agencies. At the very least, it is for us to mitigate the potential of increasingly formidable crimes,” he said at the MoU exchange ceremony here today.
The MoU was exchanged by MCMC chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din and Immigration director-general Datuk Zakaria Shaaban, and witnessed by Saifuddin and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil.
Saifuddin said the cooperation was vital as technological advances had changed the nature of crime, with drug trafficking and commercial crimes increasingly involving digital platforms and online transactions.
He said enforcement was also becoming more challenging due to the vastness of the country's borders, requiring the government to strengthen the assets, legislation and capabilities of enforcement agencies.
“The message remains the same. Crimes are becoming more complex and sophisticated. The government and enforcement agencies must stay ahead of the criminals. If we are left two or three steps behind, we will continue to be unable to tackle this properly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the cooperation reflected the government's determination to strengthen enforcement capabilities in addressing cross-border crimes driven by technological advances.
“The reality is that today's crimes are no longer confined to physical borders. Criminal syndicates involved in online scams, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, document forgery and identity theft also use communication networks and digital platforms,” he said.
He said the cooperation would also strengthen the sharing of information and intelligence to assist in detecting individuals, communication networks and related criminal modus operandi.
“I hope that through this MoU, the cooperation can be translated into tangible action. Information sharing needs to happen faster, intelligence must be utilised more effectively, and the coordination of investigations must be strengthened,” he said.
-- BERNAMA