Malaysia plans world-class academy to train AI-savvy border officers

At a ceremony in Segamat Police Training Centre, Chief Secretary Tan Sri Dr Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar called for the creation of a world-class training academy for the Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) to produce officers proficient in border-management technologies such as artificial intelligence. He emphasized the need to move beyond a reactive checkpoint model toward a smart, integrated, intelligence-led border system.

Shamsul Azri noted that MCBA, still in its first phase as "Guardians of Checkpoint," is operating at roughly 30% of its optimal 13,721-person workforce but has already tripled its seizure value to RM265 million this year. The agency also succeeded in returning 436 containers of e-waste to their origins through cooperation with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, police, the Department of Environment and port authorities.

The event saw 408 new officers complete three months of basic training, becoming the first cohort under the new MCBA scheme effective July 1, and they will be stationed at the Johor Baru-Singapore RTS Link from October 1 in preparation for full service on January 1 2027. MCBA director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain was also present.