KUCHING: More tracking dogs are needed to curb drug trafficking in the state, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said.
He said the dogs are useful particularly in aiding enforcement personnel along the borders which have become major points of entry for drugs and smuggled goods.
The dogs also help in detecting drugs at the airports and ports, he added.
“We unanimously agree with the effective measures to address this issue by adding more tracking dogs. This is because until now we have been informed that Sarawak has only six dog detectors, three from the Customs Department and three from the police,” he said at a press conference after he chaired the state-level Drug Enforcement Action Council meeting yesterday.
Abdul Karim is the chairman of the state Malaysian Drug Prevention Association (Pemadam).
“With only six dogs currently used for enforcement, this is not enough because Sarawak has many areas where the drugs can be brought in such as ports, post offices and airports. The state is just too big for the six dogs to cover,” he said.
He said he would bring the matter up at the State Cabinet meeting.
However, he noted that there might be obstacles in obtaining trained dogs as he had learned from agencies using such dogs that the authority is with the federal government.