Sarawak govt backs narcotics police staffing boost to combat drug abuse across state

KUCHING (Oct 23): The Sarawak government has expressed strong support and appreciation for the recent announcement by the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) to increase staffing in the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) across 13 districts in the state, said Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah.

The Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Minister stated that this move aligns with Sarawak’s One Stop Committee (OSC) on Drug and Substance Issues’ ongoing efforts to curb the distribution and abuse of drugs and illegal substances in the state.

She disclosed that Sarawak currently has 28 police districts, with 15 fully staffed with NCID personnel.

Seven districts, however, only have a single officer at the rank of Sergeant, while four districts have a minimum of three officers, including an Inspector, a Sergeant, and a Corporal or Lance Corporal.

Two districts — Song and Tatau — are entirely without NCID personnel.

“This increase of staffing will involve 13 districts that do not have a full NCID position.

“With the increase in staffing, I believe more enforcement activities and integrated/undercover operations can be implemented to block the supply and activities related to drugs in Sarawak,” said Fatimah in a statement.

She revealed that from January to August this year, a total of 5,774 enforcement operations were conducted by the NCID, the Royal Malaysian Customs Department, and the National Anti-Drugs Agency (AADK) in Sarawak.

These efforts led to 8,199 arrests which included 396 related to drug distribution, 1,353 for possession, and 6,450 for positive drug tests.

She also revealed that Kuching recorded the highest number of arrests with 1,732 individuals, followed by Sibu (936), Miri (766), Bintulu (670), and Samarahan (432).

During these operations, authorities seized 552.12 kg of drugs and substances, along with 42,523 pills, amounting to an estimated street value of RM30 million.

“I am confident that our efforts in combating drug abuse activities in Sarawak will become more efficient and effective with the increased staffing in NCID,” Fatimah added.

The Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain recently announced the decision to increase staffing in the NCID across 13 districts in Sarawak, which was aimed at strengthening security following the relocation of Indonesia’s capital to East Kalimantan.

According to Razarudin, the need for increased staffing was in response to the evolving threat of narcotics crime, which was influenced by global technological developments.

“The reality is that the changing trends in drug abuse and addiction are becoming more dangerous,” he said in a Bernama report.