Brendan O'Connor
MELBOURNE: The Australian Federal Police (AFP) will host a delegation from the Royal Malaysian Police to share knowledge about international airport policing.The AFP will host and fund the aviation policing study tour for a delegation from the Malaysian Special Branch to Australia in the middle of this year.
“This visit will enable the Malaysian police to observe policing and security arrangements at the Sydney and Perth international airports,” Australia’s Minister for Home Affairs Brendan O’Connor said in a statement.
He said the Malaysian police would then make recommendations to strengthen the security of the busy KL International Airport.
O’Connor said the tour could be the prelude to closer engagement with the Malaysian police on airport security.
“The importance of airport security can’t be undervalued and the Australian Government is pleased that the AFP is working with the Royal Malaysian Police in this coordinated approach,” he said.
“There has been a focus on airport security in recent years and I look forward to seeing the results of closer collaboration between Australian and Malaysian police,” he said.
“Through working together, we can create safer airports and safer skies for both our countries and our region more broadly,” O’Connor said.
This announcement comes as Australia also moves to boost security at its airports with a US$200 million (about RM608 million) suite of aviation security initiatives over four years.
Last month, the Aviation Crimes and Policing Legislation Bill 2010 passed through Parliament introducing three new aviation crimes and boosting jail sentences for existing offences such as hoaxes and endangering an aircraft. — Bernama