KUALA LUMPUR: There will be no redemption for security companies that hire workers without documentation, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
Security companies will also face swift and stern punishment if they are found to hae hired employees who do not have good morals and are linked to criminal elements.
He said the Home Ministry, in issuing permits to these companies, have tightened the rules and conditions for licences to provide security services.
He warned security companies found to have breached the rules and conditions that they would lose their license immediately, with no chance given.
“Police have put in a place security guard screening procedures,” he said during the Minister's Question Time in Parliament today.
He was replying to Datuk Abdul Manan Ismail (BN-Paya Besar) who asked on the steps taken by the Home Ministry following the arrest of seven Abu Sayyaf suspects working as security guards.
The suspects, all Filipinos, were working with private companies in the Klang Valley when they were arrested last month by the Special Branch counter terrorism division.
The arrests on Sept 14 follows an earlier operation where eight of their peers were also held for allegedly planning attacks during the 29th Kuala Lumpur Sea Games and 60th Merdeka celebration.
Zahid said the seven Abu Sayyaf suspects, who are still under police investigation, were arrested as a result police work with intelligence from neighbouring countries.
At the same time, he said the police has stepped up cooperation with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) in preventing the Islamic State (IS) from spreading its influence.
The authorities will take action against website owners and social media accounts involved with the spread of IS militarism, he said, adding that those linked to IS activities will be tracked down.
He noted that the government has also directed all enforcement agencies, especially those bordering the Philippines, to enhance security controls and prevent terrorists from entering the country.
Zahid warned that there might be increased infiltration in the country, especially in Sabah, following the offensive action of the Philippine government against the terrorist groups.