Govt to upgrade airport scanners, tighten security checks

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian government is set to enhance baggage and body scanners at international entry points in a phased manner to bolster security screening measures, announced Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail in a written parliamentary response. The upgrades involve integrating next-generation scanning technology with artificial intelligence analytics.

Rodiyah Sapiee inquired about identified weaknesses in security systems, prompting Saifuddin's response following the arrest of a Malaysian pilot in Jakarta for drug possession. Saifuddin clarified that current baggage scanners at KLIA's departure lanes and other airports meet International Civil Aviation Organization standards, primarily designed to detect explosives, weapons, and dangerous metals.

However, these scanners are not equipped to identify contraband like drugs, a task left to the judgment, visual acuity, and risk assessment of screening personnel. He emphasized that airport security is further fortified by intelligence from security agencies to deter smuggling. The Home Ministry and Transport Ministry, in a joint memorandum approved by the cabinet on August 19, 2026, outlined a comprehensive action plan to mitigate security risks at entry points, encompassing aviation, national, and border security, as well as physical security.

The plan features 17 recommendations, to be implemented in phases, with short-term actions within six months, medium-term within a year and a half, and long-term strategies extending beyond two years. To curb potential abuses of special access lanes by aviation and airport personnel, the government and relevant agencies plan to strengthen the e-Vetting system for stringent scrutiny of security pass applications and renewals.

Additionally, the administration will introduce periodic job rotations for personnel in restricted security areas to mitigate collusion and manipulation of controls, according to Saifuddin.