INTERPOL is now involved in Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia’s fight against terrorism.

Security personnel from the four countries can now access Interpol’s database to identify wanted criminals and terrorists in the Southeast Asian region.

Interpol will also provide equipment and support for a two-week mission codenamed “Maharlika”, which begins tomorrow.

This is the first direct involvement of the international agency based in Lyon, France, in combating terrorism in this part of the world.

According to Interpol’s Strategic Report and Analysis director Harald Arm, Interpol has more than 75 million records in its database, including for stolen and lost travel documents.

“Maharlika is one of the ways security personnel can jointly monitor the movement of terrorists and equipment used for attacks.

“One of the ways Interpol can help member countries is to protect their borders. To date, the Interpol database registers more than 200 checks per second,” he said in Sandakan, Sabah, today at the launch of Operation Maharlika.

Islamic State fighters have been known to use Sabah’s east coast to cross the border into southern Philippines.

Cross-border crimes and kidnapping for ransom remains a threat in Sabah’s coastal districts, where the Eastern Sabah Security Command has been established.

Recent kidnappings of fishermen, as well as the recently concluded urban war in the Philippines’ Marawi, have led to a steep increase in border policing in the four nations.

Bukit Aman’s Internal Security and Public Order Department director Zulkifli Abdullah said the focus for Malaysia will largely be on the Eastern Sabah Security Zone.

He said the police forces of the four nations were operating at its peak.

“This cooperation is an effort to show foreign terrorist fighters that Brunei, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia are now united in weeding out terrorism in this part of the region,” he said.

The Philippines’ Western Mindanao Field Office police chief Colonel Tulen Michael and Indonesia’s Senior Superintendant Natarudin were present at the launch. – October 31, 2017.