Kelantan Police Chiefs Must Arrest Daily Drug Addicts

In a significant shift to combat drug-related issues, all 56 police station chiefs across Kelantan, Malaysia, are now mandated to arrest at least one drug addict each day. This new directive is part of a strategic plan to intensify efforts against drug abuse and distribution, which commenced on July 15.

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This time, I want station chiefs themselves to play a role.

Kelantan State Police Chief, Datuk Mohd. Yusoff Mamat, stated that this focused strategy is designed to enhance the effectiveness of anti-drug operations. He emphasized that disciplinary action will be imposed on any officer who fails to meet the set daily arrest target, underscoring the seriousness of the initiative.

Mohd. Yusoff highlighted a change in operational philosophy, moving away from a passive approach where police stations merely awaited instructions from higher authorities. "This time, I want station chiefs themselves to play a role," he asserted. Under the new plan, each station chief is expected to be intimately familiar with their respective areas, including population demographics, local activities, businesses, and the number of drug addicts present.

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Each police station chief must arrest at least one addict every day through a new strategic plan to combat drugs that began implementation on July 15.

The strategic plan also clarifies responsibilities: station chiefs will concentrate on addicts, District Narcotics Crime Investigation chiefs will focus on pursuing dealers, and the state Narcotics Criminal Investigation Department chief will coordinate actions against larger syndicates. This division of labor aims to prevent the previous situation where the pursuit of daily arrest quotas for addicts potentially undermined intelligence gathering on drug distribution networks.

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Disciplinary action will be taken against any member who fails to achieve the set target.