Kelantan police have assured that there will be no issue of overcrowding at lockups following an instruction for police stations in the state to arrest one drug addict daily as part of efforts to combat drug-related offences.
Kelantan Police Chief Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mamat said concerns over lockup capacity should not become an obstacle in addressing the ongoing drug problem, as failure to take action would only allow the issue to continue.
He said the state’s enforcement approach must focus on tackling drug abuse effectively rather than worrying about possible congestion at detention facilities.
“There is no issue of full lockups. If we keep thinking about prison capacity and similar concerns, the drug problem will never be resolved,” he told reporters in Kelantan.
Mohd Yusoff previously instructed all police station chiefs in the state to detain at least one drug addict daily as part of a broader strategy to reduce drug-related activities and prevent associated crimes.
He stressed that the initiative was not solely focused on station chiefs, but involved a comprehensive enforcement plan involving different levels of the police force.
Under the strategy, station chiefs are responsible for making daily arrests involving drug users, while district narcotics departments focus on identifying and arresting drug suppliers. The state narcotics department, meanwhile, will target larger syndicates involved in drug trafficking.
Mohd Yusoff said information obtained from drug users could also assist police in taking further preventive action, including investigations under the Special Preventive Measures Act.
He added that while drug-related cases have shown a decline, public concerns over the continued presence of drugs in communities require authorities to adopt stronger and more coordinated measures.
Mohd Yusoff made the remarks after attending a joint coordination meeting between the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and the Kelantan State Education Department (JPN) in Tunjong.
