Malaysia aims to become a leading K9 tracker dog breeding hub in Asean through the Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) K9 Operations Centre, located in Bertam, Penang. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming announced the initiative, which seeks to produce "home-grown champions" and establish Malaysia as an exporter of trained K9 units, thereby reducing the current reliance on costly imports. Previously, Malaysia imported trained dogs from Birmingham, UK, for approximately RM150,000 each. The Madani Government has allocated RM2.4 million for the procurement of 16 new tracker dogs from the UK, supplementing JBPM's current stock of 34 dogs, with a goal of reaching 56 dogs for optimal operational capacity.