KUCHING – People aged 30 years and under are more likely to be involved in drug abuse now, which has shifted from conventional drug use to synthetic drugs, said Sarawak police chief Datuk Aidi Ismail today.
He said 5,372 or 55.2% of 9,739 arrests from January to November this year for various drug offences were from this age group, according to the arrest statistics of the state’s Crime Investigation Department.
“The government has already declared drugs as the number one enemy of the country since 1983 but now, 37 years later, the scourge has not been fully curbed and is even more serious,” he said when officiating at the first Sarawak Police Contingent Level Drug Jihad (Struggle) Programme in Kg Gedong, Simunjan.
He said education is the best way to deal with the problem.
“This drug jihad programme is led by the police with the involvement of the National Anti-Drug Agency, local authorities and the village security committees.
“This programme needs to be mobilised at all levels with all parties moving in an integrated manner to implement prevention and enforcement programmes at target locations, namely, in high-risk areas according to local needs,” he said.
Aidi said that through this programme, all feedback and responses can be obtained immediately from the community members involved via the cooperative network between departments.
“Although eradicating it (drug abuse) completely is impossible, efforts to minimise the problem is a jihad (struggle) that needs to be implemented by people from all walks of life, not just the authorities.
“The term ‘jihad’ is used to signify a serious, committed action in ensuring that the number of hardcore addicts decreases, as they are the ones who influence teenagers and new addicts to start taking drugs,” said Aidi.
In the context of clearing Kg Gedong of drug abuse, he said that police have planned to intensify operations and arrests at target locations.
Gedong state assemblyman Datuk Mohd Naroden Majais, who is also the Assistant Minister of International Trade and Industry, Industrial Terminal and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak, was present at the ceremony as well. – Bernama, December 16, 2020
