As front-line officials, immigration and border control officers have an increased chance of encountering cases of migrant smuggling. This, combined with the increased demand for smuggling services – due to heightened border controls to prevent spread of the Covid-19 pandemic – led to the formation of this workshop.

The virtual training workshop was delivered through JCLEC’s Online Delivery Model (ODM) using the Zoom platform, connecting the RSO and immigration officers stationed across various provinces in Malaysia and Indonesia.

This virtual workshop contained four sessions aimed at providing participants with the knowledge and skills required to better understand the crime and improve responses to migrant smuggling cases.

Pak Agus Widedo from the Anti-People Smuggling Unit in the Indonesian Criminal Investigation Agency delivered his first session on current trends and shared information and techniques to counter people smuggling. The RSO followed this session with a brief explanation of the differences between smuggling of migrants and trafficking in persons, and the challenges of prosecuting migrant smuggling cases. Lastly, General Aby Nursentyanto delivered a session on the importance of international cooperation in combatting the crime of migrant smuggling.

The RSO would like to thank General Aby Nursentyanto (INP Executive Director of JCLEC), Federal Agent Greg Davis (AFP Executive Director of Programs of JCLEC), Pak Agus Widedo, as well as all participants who were in attendance.

The RSO would also like to thank the JCLEC staff and interpreters for all their hard work in ensuring the success of this workshop which has brought Malaysia, Indonesia and the RSO closer to our shared goal of combating people smuggling, trafficking in persons and related transnational crime.