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The Secretary for Security, Mr Lai Tung-kwok, visited the Kowloon West Regional Police Headquarters in the small hours of this morning (August 26). During the visit, he was briefed on two operations, codenamed "Newsbrowser" and "Retriever", launched by Kowloon West police officers to fight illegal activities such as drug-related crime at entertainment establishments. Afterwards, he also observed a Police operation at an upstairs bar in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Speaking after the operation, Mr Lai said that the Government attached great importance to the youth drug abuse problem. He reiterated the Government's determination to fight the drug problem.
Mr Lai said, "The Police are striving to combat drug trafficking and the problem of young people being tempted by criminals to try drugs. Young people fall prey to criminals easily when they frequent entertainment establishments during the summer holidays. Addressing the problem, the Police have mounted the 'Newsbrowser' and 'Retriever' operations during the summer holidays to demonstrate their determination in confronting law-breakers who lure young people to try drugs, traffic in drugs or conduct other illegal activities at entertainment establishments.
"Law enforcement is one of the key directions in the five-pronged anti-drug strategies. The large-scale law enforcement action mounted by the Police tonight and the successful seizure of a large quantity of drugs in the past few months to stop the inflow of drugs at source have reflected the zero-tolerance attitude adopted by the law enforcement agencies towards all kinds of drug-related crime."
He said that the Government had been very concerned about the youth drug abuse problem. With the joint efforts of different sectors of the community and the law enforcement agencies, the youth drug situation had shown signs of easing in recent years. According to figures of the Central Registry of Drug Abuse, the numbers of reported drug abusers and young drug abusers aged under 21 in the first quarter of 2012 dropped by 6.8% and 24.2% respectively when compared to the same period in 2011. There was also a declining trend in the number of people arrested for drug-related crimes. In the first quarter of 2012, the number of people arrested dropped to 1,404, a decrease of 8.2% when compared to the same period last year. Among those arrested, 237 were young people aged under 21, a 20.2% decline when compared to the same period last year.
Mr Lai said, "Despite an improvement in the recent local drug situation, we will not slacken our efforts. We have noticed a growing trend of hidden youth drug problems which has increased the difficulties in identifying young drug abusers.
"Due to the hidden nature of both the consumption methods of psychotropic substances and the initial harmful effects on the body, the abuse of psychotropic substances may not be easily noted. Prolonged psychotropic substance abuse will cause serious or even irreversible effects on the health of young drug abusers. It is therefore important to focus efforts on assisting youth at risk with specific emphasis on early identification and early intervention."
Mr Lai called on parents to care more for their children. The Narcotics Division would also enhance support services for parents to facilitate their early identification and dealing with youth drug problems. Meanwhile, the Government would step up its anti-drug publicity efforts to promote public awareness of the hidden nature of youth drug abuse.
The summer holidays are coming to an end and the new school year is about to begin. Mr Lai encouraged young people to actively participate in healthy activities, lead a healthy lifestyle and develop positive values, and he urged them to stand firm and say no to drugs when faced with the temptation to try drugs.
Accompanying Mr Lai on the visit today was the Commissioner for Narcotics, Mrs Erika Hui.
Ends/Sunday, August 26, 2012
Issued at HKT 04:58
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