Rantau Panjang ICQS Needs More Personnel To Support Two-Shift Operations — AKPS

RANTAU PANJANG, Oct 6 – The Malaysia Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) requires additional staffing to optimize border operations at the Rantau Panjang Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex, particularly to manage rising traveler traffic and maintain two-shift operations.

Rantau Panjang AKPS Commander Siti Khadijah Hamzah stated that only 14 immigration officers are currently deployed per shift, a figure far below optimal operational requirements.

“As it stands, there are 14 personnel per shift for immigration checks. Even that is far from adequate,” Siti Khadijah told Bernama at the border facility, adding that comprehensive data and staffing requests have been submitted to AKPS headquarters for submission to the Public Service Department (JPA).

Restructuring and Infrastructure Constraints

AKPS is conducting agency-wide workforce evaluations across Malaysia’s international gateways to realign personnel deployment with site-specific needs:

• Workforce Restructuring: As a newly established entity, AKPS is assessing counter numbers, shift rotations, and traveler volumes to determine ideal staffing levels for every border post.
• Counter Deployment: Siti Khadijah clarified that the staffing shortfall is not the primary cause of traffic bottlenecks, as all 12 immigration counters—comprising six arrival lanes and six departure lanes—are fully operational during peak hours.
• Congestion Factors: Primary drivers of traffic congestion at the Rantau Panjang ICQS Complex include structural bottlenecks—specifically having only a single entry and exit lane—alongside periodic electronic system disruptions.

AKPS aims to secure necessary personnel increases while long-term infrastructure improvements are evaluated at the Kelantan-Thailand border checkpoint.

–NMT