KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 24 — Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohamad has confirmed that 15 out of 16 new K9 dog detection units ordered from the United Kingdom have safely arrived in Malaysia.
The remaining canine is expected to be delivered by the end of the month.
Nor Hisham said the delay was due to the final dog not meeting the department’s performance standards, prompting a last-minute replacement.
“We sent three of our officers there to examine the canines, and they spent almost every day with them.
“However, during the final assessment, the response from one of the dogs was a bit underwhelming, so we decided to exchange it for another,” he told reporters.
The 16 new canines are meant to replace older units that have exceeded their operational lifespan of 10 years.
Comprising English Springer Spaniels and Labrador Retrievers, all 16 dogs will undergo an acclimation and bonding period until December before being deployed for official operations.
The canines were procured for RM2.4 million, with an additional RM600,000 in support from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma).
Nor Hisham also said the department is completing new K9 quarantine chambers at its K9 Centre in Jalan Klang Lama, a RM933,884 project expected to be finished by the end of this month.
Bomba is also planning to establish a new K9 Dog Detection Unit operations centre in Penang to strengthen coverage in the northern region.
“At the moment, we have three K9 operations centres — one in Sarawak, one in Sabah, and one in Selangor.
“One of the reasons we want to build another base in the north is that when an emergency occurs in other states, we have to send our sole K9 unit from Selangor. This could pose a problem if another emergency happens in Selangor at the same time.
“Additionally, we have our air unit in Penang, which can quickly deploy the K9 team to the east coast if needed,” he said.
The proposed Penang centre, part of the 13th Malaysia Plan’s first rolling plan, is expected to cost about RM19 million.
Nor Hisham added that Bomba has reached an agreement with the Ministry of Finance on a long-term plan to develop its own K9 breeding and training programme under the Industrial Collaboration Plan (ICP), set to begin in 2026.
He said the initiative aims to reduce dependency on foreign procurement while ensuring a sustainable supply of high-quality, well-trained local canines.
