Big Potential In Expanding Malaysia-UK Security Cooperation - Deputy PM

By Ahmad Fuad Yahya LONDON, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Malaysia and United Kingdom have immense potential in forging closer bilateral cooperation in the field of security, especially in curbing transboundary crimes and counter terrorism activities, said Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi. This matter, said the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister, was agreed upon during his meeting with United Kingdom Home Secretary, Theresa May here on Tuesday. Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, held an inaugural meeting with his counterpart from the United Kingdom during his four-day working visit to the country since Sunday. Speaking at a media conference with Malaysian journalists here on the third of his visit, he said the new development opened up an opportunity to enhance the existing agreements between Malaysia and the United Kingdom in the field of security. Ahmad Zahid said, among others, Malaysia was keen to learn from the United Kingdom's experiennce in managing the National Tracking Border Centre (NBTC) and community policing programme in Manchester to address terrorist threat. "In my discussions with May, I have submitted a number of proposals, including the decision to send Malaysian police officers to carry out training here in areas that are new to us or we still need to update skills in the field of security," he said. The training programme, which will be initiated in accordance with the training schedule by the United Kingdom authorities, involved the handling of assets monitoring especially information communication system used by transboundary cyber criminals and Daesh group (formerly known as the IS militant group). At the meeting Ahmad Zahid formally invited May to presented a paper at the International Conference on Radicalisation and Extreme Violence, to be held in Malaysia on January 25 and 26 next year. The international conference is participated by all 10 ASEAN countries as well as several other countries, including the United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Japan, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar. Prior to meeting with May, Ahmad Zahid and his delegation visited NBTC in Manchester to take a closer look at management review and control system analysis data of passengers entering UK by air. He and delegation also visited the Greater Manchester police headquarters to review the community police programme to deal with criminal activities of terrorism. --BERNAMA