KUALA LUMPUR: Recent security breaches at Malaysia airports have prompted an urgent need for pre-security checks to safeguard civilians and travellers.
This includes the shooting incident at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) Terminal 1 arrival hall and the assassination of Kim Jong Nam at KLIA Terminal 2 in 2017.
In the latest episode of Beyond The Headlines, National Defence University Malaysia (UPNM) security and defence expert Professor Dr Mohd Mizan Mohammad Aslam has proposed implementing pre-security checks for all individuals entering airports, particularly civilians accessing public areas.
"We need the instrument of a pre-security check, especially for civilians who are going to public areas, especially airports.
"I think that should be taken into consideration.. everybody who comes should go through something like a body scanner and they should scan their bags through a security machine," he said.
Last week, a man fired two shots at his wife at the entrance of the KLIA arrival hall but missed, with one of the shots hitting one of her two bodyguards.
The man has been detained by police at the Selangor Police Headquarters in Shah Alam. The police had seized a Glock pistol which was in his possession.
It is believed that the man had illegally obtained his gun from Thailand however it is still under investigation.
Mohd Mizan said the recent shooting incident is a good indicator that the issue of smuggling is serious and could exacerbate shootings in other public areas including tourist attractions and schools.
He called for stricter control at the country's borders including by roping in the military which has proven their loyalty to guard the country's sovereignty.
The police, he said, should also be given credit for their swift arrest of armed Israeli Shalom Avitan who was in possession of 158 bullets and six firearms in a hotel room in Jalan Ampang last month.
Shalom had bought the firearms from a local couple who also brought it from Thailand.
Mohd Mizan had reiterated his hope that the government could take lessons from Malaysian Border Security Agency (Aksem) for their newly-formed Single Border Agency (SBA)
Follow the full discussion in the latest Beyond the Headlines episode (EP32) on NST Online's YouTube channel.