The Finance Ministry is mulling providing security escorts for senior Royal Malaysian Customs Department officials, said Deputy Finance Minister Ahmad Maslan.

NONE This followed the assassination of the department’s deputy director-general Shaharuddin Ibrahim ( left ) in Putrajaya last month, and petrol bomb attack in the Customs Department quarters in Johor Bahru in September last year, which resulted in the death of Johor Customs deputy director Ahmad Hassan.

In addition, Ahmad said the ministry is considering proposals to prepare two emergency response teams in each state, consisting of four persons in each team, to deal with such contingencies.

The security of the department’s offices and quarters may also be tightened.

“The draft standard operating procedures has already been tabled at the national conference of Customs directors between May 8 to May 10, and would be taken to the Ministry of Finance for approval,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference in Putrajaya today after his first official visit to the department after being appointed as the deputy finance minister.

Special operations team

In addition, he said the department has proposed to form its own commando-like special operations teams and to purchase bulletproof vests for frontline staff.

NONE Among its tasks, the special operations team’s task would escort high-value cargo that the department has confiscated.

The Customs Department, Ahmad ( left ) said, has stepped up its anti-drug operations and 62 people are now on death row as a result, with another three having already been hanged recently.

However, this has apparently peeved smuggling syndicates and exposed the department’s officers to higher occupational hazards.

He added that Customs Department has about 13,000 personnel, and its revenue is projected to increase to RM34.43 billion this year, up from RM32.32 billion last year and RM30.38 billion from the year before.