Acting Sarawak Police Commissioner DCP Saifullizan Ishak said at an Oct 28 press conference in Kuching that the request had already been submitted. Reinforcements could come from Sabah, but he described that as a possibility rather than a confirmed deployment.

The request concerns the staffing needed to run election security alongside everyday public-safety work. Saifullizan said regular policing would continue; assigning personnel to the election does not mean all officers will leave their normal duties.

Police are also preparing logistics around the Northeast Monsoon. That places transport and deployment readiness alongside headcount in their election preparations, particularly for a state with widely dispersed communities.

The immediate next step is Bukit Aman’s arrangement of additional personnel. The request itself does not establish that Sabah reinforcements have been approved or have arrived.