Kota Kinabalu: The Government will station police officers at petrol stations located near borders and in high-risk areas to tighten enforcement against fuel leakages and smuggling.
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the move, endorsed during the Cabinet meeting on April 8, expanded the existing static deployment of enforcement personnel from the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (KPDN).
He said the decision came amid rising risks of petrol and diesel leakages, driven by the ongoing global energy crisis stemming from the conflict in West Asia.
“Since March 20, 2026, KPDN enforcement teams have been deployed on a scheduled basis at petrol stations in border areas nationwide.
“However, findings presented by the Inter-Agency Coordination High-Level Committee to Combat Leakage and Smuggling (JTPAP) at the National Economic Action Council (MTEN) indicated the need to widen static monitoring to include all petrol stations near borders and other high-risk locations,” he said.
He was speaking at a press conference after launching the Inisiatif Ihsan Food Bank (i-FB) Santuni Komuniti @ Dapur Kita-Kita Bersama KPDN programme, here, Saturday.
Armizan said the participation of the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) is essential to overcome the limited number of KPDN enforcement officers, while ensuring more thorough monitoring of supply levels and pricing nationwide.
“The current energy crisis is also impacting the supply chain of food and essential goods, particularly imports, making stricter monitoring necessary,” he said.
Armizan added that the first phase of the static deployment ran from March 20 to April 10, covering 87 petrol stations.
“The second phase will commence next week, involving an additional 70 petrol stations, with police personnel also being assigned. We will continue assessing risks and the need to further expand this initiative over time,” he said.
Separately, he revealed that discussions have been held with the Home Minister to explore the possibility of involving volunteers from the Malaysian Volunteer Corps Department (Rela) in the static monitoring operations at petrol stations.
