KUALA MUDA: The People's Volunteer Corps (Rela) is ready to expand its role in enhancing national security with skills and weapons training.
Rela director-general Datuk Yahya Sulaiman said various training programmes have been implemented to improve the abilities of its members to shoulder new responsibilities.
"Rela has changed significantly compared to before, and so has our training. We are now enrolling our officers in Sijil Kemahiran Malaysia courses to obtain diplomas.
"We started with the first phase for officers and are currently focused on running courses related to weaponry. This has already begun," he said after opening the national-level Rela shooting skills test today.
Present were Home Ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Abdul Halim Abdul Rahman and Kuala Muda district police chief Assistant Commissioner Wan Azharuddin Wan Ismail.
Yahya said that weapons training, like today's shooting test proved Rela members' readiness to face future security challenges.
"We want to ensure that when other security agencies seek our assistance, particularly for future security threats, they can have full confidence in Rela's expertise with weaponry," he added.
He said Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes were also actively being conducted for Rela members to enhance their skillsets.
"The main goal is to produce members who have specialised skills, and secondly, to offer them opportunities beyond Rela," he added.
On Thursday, Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail said Rela's role would be expanded in collaboration with enforcement agencies, including border control, moving beyond their typical traffic and event duties.