Amalia Azmi, Kalbana Perimbanayagam
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 600 policemen have been caught abusing drugs over the past decade, and most of them have been sacked.
The stress of police work and the constant proximity to drugs and drug pushers can prove to be too much of a pull for some, and in the past decade, 505 policemen have lost their jobs due to drug addiction.
In the past decade, 50 officers and 581 policemen of other ranks have been disciplined for drug use, highlighting the depth of the drug problem in Malaysia.
Recently, the New Straits Times reported that imprisoning drug offenders costs the country more than RM1 billion a year.
Data shared at the recent National Security Conference showed that RM1.15 billion was spent to keep the more than 8,400 drug offenders in prison and another RM166 million was spent on rehabilitating 7,000 of them.
Last year, seizures from drug and substance-related crimes amounted to RM1.1 billion.
These cases, of course, include those involving police personnel.
Federal police Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS) director Datuk Seri Azri Ahmad said it could not be denied that drug-related issues within the force were partly due to the nature of police work and access to drug dealers.
However, Azri said JIPS was "unwavering" in its zero-tolerance of drug offences.
He said in 2014, 45 policemen were dismissed, followed by 43 in 2015, 53 in 2016, 52 in 2017, 38 in 2018, 52 in 2019, 58 in 2020, 42 in 2021, 55 in 2022, and 51 last year.
"Up to August this year, there have been 16 cases," he told the NST in an exclusive interview.
Azri said the "consistent" level of drug-related offences among policemen each year showed that JIPS and the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department had been closely monitoring police personnel, including through spot checks.
"We also conduct regular urine tests on officers, and tests based on tip-offs received from the public," he said.
Azri said it was not just those who use drugs who are liable for disciplinary action.
He said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain had issued Directive No. 193, emphasising the Total Enforcement of Regulation 3C of the Public Officers (Conduct and Discipline) Regulations 1993.
This directive is aimed at ensuring strict supervision and minimising opportunities for misconduct, including drug abuse.
"Any police officer who fails to exercise disciplinary control and supervision over their subordinates or fails to take action against a subordinate who breaches regulations shall be deemed negligent in their duties and irresponsible, and shall be liable to disciplinary action," he said.
Azri said dismissed officers would forfeit their pension, gratuity and other benefits under the Pensions Act.
He said dismissal decisions were confidential and not accessible to the public or future employers.
"However, any police officer who has been dismissed will not be hired in any government agency in the future.
"Disclosure of disciplinary records can only be obtained through a court order," he said.