KUALA LUMPUR: While eradicating the spectre of smuggling may be a next-to-impossible task, the government has been urged to pull out all the stops to bring it down to a manageable level.
Failure to do this, says criminologist Datuk Dr P. Sundramoorthy, could lead to a knock-on effect of heightened security risks due to the nation's borders becoming even more porous.
Sundramoorthy, who is an associate professor of criminology at the School of Social Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), said the problem of cross-border smuggling was difficult to resolve as it was constantly evolving.
"It is not a new phenomenon. From illegal items, such as drugs to fuel and food and now, (subsidised) cooking oil, it is a never-ending story.
"When items are cheaper on one side, syndicates will send them over. It cannot be completely eliminated, but we must at least put in effort to minimise and control it.
"The challenges have always been there despite the various measures taken. The smuggling of contraband, controlled items and even human-trafficking poses an ongoing threat to not just national security, but also the economy," he told the New Straits Times.
Commenting on the report on Sunday that it took just five minutes or less to smuggle out subsidised cooking oil in 1kg polybags to Thai border towns, Sundramoorthy said bolstering and managing border security was a necessary step.
Traffic volume at legitimate entry points, he said, was a major reason why smugglers managed to evade detection.
"Anywhere in the world, most border control and enforcement agencies are unable to thoroughly inspect every single car, bus or trailer that passed through the checkpoint.
"That is the reality of enforcement and Malaysia is no exception. Checks are usually done randomly based on a profiling system as it is just humanly impossible and economically unfeasible to check every single vehicle.
"It would hold back the entire supply chain process so ultimately, some (smugglers) do get away."
Sundramoorthy said to tighten the checking process, Malaysia must have tighter cooperation with its immediate neighbours including Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia.
Touching on combating smugglers' use of rat lanes (lorong tikus), he said the authorities must be willing to invest in advanced surveillance tools to monitor such activities.
"There are lots of advanced technological tools for security surveillance, such as motion sensors, specially-built parameter fencing, drones and closed-circuit television camera systems.
"I strongly believe that the allocation for this must be multiplied from what it is now if we hope to have our enforcement agencies adequately deal with border control issues.
"The problem is we are not allocating sufficient resources, both with regard to personnel and high-tech equipment. Both are not enough at the moment."
Sundramoorthy said it was also imperative that enforcement agencies were not lulled into complacency concerning the defensive level at the country's entry points.
He said apart from law enforcement agencies, the Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Ministry also had a major role to play in controlling the inflow of smuggled items.
"The ministry must monitor the supply chain of controlled items. The question should always be how the syndicate can get access to such a large quantity of a particular controlled item.
"I am not denying that there are small players who get hundreds of ringgit operating at the border, but we must look at the larger picture.
"Syndicates that are able to smuggle large quantities across the border are organised and systematic. If the ministry can prevent the sale of these items to these syndicates, we can solve part of the problem," he said.