Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s war on drugs received a major boost, Monday, with the handover of a trained drug detection dog (K9) to the State Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department (JSJN).
The ceremony, held at the Sabah Police Contingent Headquarters (IPK), was officiated by State Community Development and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib, who is also Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam) Sabah Chairman.
According to James, the new K9, now undergoing training at Bukit Aman together with its handler from Sabah will be deployed in four months to strengthen enforcement at border entry points across the State.
“Airports in Sandakan, Tawau, Labuan and Kota Kinabalu have been used as courier points for drugs. With this K9 unit, at least we can reduce some of the problems we are facing.
“Each detection dog costs about RM80,000, with upkeep likely to surpass that figure, stressing the need for at least five or six K9s to cover Sabah’s major entry points,” he said.
James said the matter will be brought to the next State Cabinet meeting, where he will propose for the Sabah Government to provide assistance in funding additional K9 units.
Meanwhile, Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Jauteh Dikun described the contribution as timely and crucial.
“This contribution is very appropriate and we are deeply grateful,” he said.
Currently, the Sabah Police Dog Unit has eight dogs, one of which is specifically trained for narcotics. With this addition, the number will soon rise to nine.
Sabah Narcotics Chief ACP Alhusin Halil said Duyun, the State’s sole narcotics K9, is already 13 years old and showing signs of ageing.
“Duyun is still carrying out tasks but needs more frequent rest. His vision is blurred due to cataracts, but his sensitivity in detecting drugs remains very high,” he said.
Jauteh added that more dogs were urgently needed given Sabah’s vast geography and multiple ports of entry.
“Looking at the distances between Tawau, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Kota Kinabalu and Labuan, one dog is simply not efficient.
“At the very least, we need five to ensure each port and airport is covered and they can also be deployed at seaports,” he said.
