Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat has urged the government to expedite the procurement of high-tech maritime surveillance radar to secure the state’s waters.
KOTA BHARU: The government has been urged to expedite the procurement of high-tech maritime surveillance radar to strengthen security monitoring of Kelantan’s waters, particularly to detect the movements of boats suspected of being used for cross-border activities.
Kelantan police chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat, who served as a Marine Police commander for more than 20 years, said the use of high-capability radar was crucial to enable the authorities to detect boat positions more accurately, as well as identify their types, sizes and speeds.
He said the vast maritime area and the limitations of radar systems on patrol boats made comprehensive monitoring difficult, especially at night, necessitating more advanced surveillance systems to help enforcement teams act on information about boat movements.
He said maritime surveillance radar could also help optimise the use of assets and fuel, as enforcement teams could focus their patrols on areas identified as having suspicious boat movements.
“When relying solely on boats, their radar systems have limitations. That is why we need advanced radar to detect boat movements and determine their positions before taking action,” he told a press conference after delivering his address at the Kelantan Contingent’s Monthly Assembly for October 2026 at the Kelantan Police Contingent Headquarters here today.
He proposed that the radar be installed at strategic locations, including Pulau Tengkorak, Tumpat, or any suitable base that would enable more comprehensive surveillance of Kelantan’s waters.
In a related development, Mohd Yusoff said joint operations between the Marine Police and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency were being conducted through patrols three days a week to block boat routes along the Kelantan River, particularly in the Kuala Besar area.
He said the operations were among the existing measures to curb the entry of boats through the route while efforts to strengthen maritime surveillance capabilities continued.
Mohd Yusoff said the state director of the National Security Council (NSC) was scheduled to hold a meeting with relevant maritime security agencies, including the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, today to streamline and strengthen joint operations.
Commenting on cross-border syndicate activities, he said there were local individuals working with syndicates in Tak Bai, Thailand but cautioned that such allegations needed to be verified by relevant authorities.
Meanwhile, Mohd Yusoff said his department would assess the implementation of a new strategic plan to combat drugs after 100 days before taking action against police stations identified as having weaknesses in its implementation.
“The police have held a meeting with all district police chiefs in the state to refine the plan, including devising strategies based on the population size and density in their respective areas,” he said.
He said the approach was important to ensure that staffing and the implementation of strategies at each police station were better suited to local needs.
Mohd Yusoff said his department would allow three months, or 100 days, for the implementation and improvement of the strategy before evaluating the performance of police stations and taking appropriate action against station chiefs identified as having problems.
However, he said data on the number of arrests during the three-month implementation period would be provided at a later date.