Bahrain is winning the war on drugs, Interior Mini-ster Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa told MPs yesterday.Bahrain has beefed up its anti-drugs forces, with more manpower, better training and the latest technologies. Drug deaths fell to 41 last year from 55 in 2004, Shaikh Rashid told parliament. Drug arrests last year totalled 848, compared to 847 in 2004, showing that police were keeping traffickers in check. However smart the trafficker, the police are keeping one step ahead, said Shaikh Rashid. [continues 107 words]
POLICE are powerless to stop some drugs already outlawed in the West from entering Bahrain because they are still not listed here as illegal, according to a senior officer yesterday. One of the most common is Shabu - a methamphetamine that originates in the Philippines - - said General Directorate of Criminal Investigation director-general Brigadier Farooq Al Mawada. He revealed that police are powerless to stop the drug, also referred to as "crystal meth" or "ice", from being brought into Bahrain because it is technically legal. [continues 434 words]
MANAMA: A new 24-hour drugs hotline is being set up by police for people to report offenders. School staff are also being canvassed to inform police if they think pupils are using drugs, says Criminal Investigation Directorate (CID) director Brigadier Farouk Al Maawada. Rewards are also on offer for people who help the police catch drug smugglers and dealers, he said yesterday. Brig Al Maawada said that 375 drug cases have been dealt with during the past four months. "Most of the drug offences were committed in the Capital Governorate, while the lowest has been found in the Muharraq Governorate," he said. [continues 141 words]
Extra hospital beds are being set aside to cope with growing numbers of drug addicts, it was revealed yesterday. An additional 20 beds are being provided as part of a major upgrade of the Almoayyed Drug and Alcohol Treatment and Rehabilitation Unit, at the Psychiatric Hospital. The GDN reported exclusively on how a shortage of beds and a surge in the number of new drug addicts is threatening to cripple Bahrain's drug treatment service. The number of new heroin addicts registering at the unit quadrupled last year from 44 in 2002 to 165, while the number of follow-up cases rose from 2,934 to 4,439 - the highest ever. [continues 348 words]
