09 Oct 2014
Madam Chairperson
Overall Drug Situation
1 Drug abuse continues to be a scourge to the global community. According to the World Drug Report, an estimated 183,000 lives worldwide were lost to drug abuse in 2012. That equates to slightly more than 500 deaths per day, or one death every three minutes.
Challenge for Singapore
2 As a law enforcement officer, I have personally witnessed how drug addiction ruins lives. I remember vividly a case involving a 60-odd year old drug addict, “Ken”. He was arrested on multiple occassions for a range of theft offences, and had been in and out of drug rehabilitation repeatedly. His addiction to drugs was so strong, that he felt compelled to commit crime after crime to fuel it. As a result of drug addiction, decades of his life was wasted behind bars.
3 It is not only the drug abuser who is negatively impacted by his or her addiction. Financial difficulties and strained family relationships are real and common repercussions of the abuser’s drug habit. We have seen many cases of drug abusers neglecting their families due to their drug habit, and their young children end up growing up without a positive role model. I have dealt with drug abusers who abuse their family members because they were not given money to buy illicit drugs.
Madam Chairperson,
4 The threats posed by drug trafficking and abuse to Singapore are significant. We are well-connected to major drug production centres in our region and, as a major logistics and transport hub, would be a natural transhipment place for drugs.
5 Earlier today, a delegation mentioned that drug-related crimes do not fall in the category of “most serious crimes” and that it was “particularly concerned that a number of states continue to apply the death penalty for such crimes”. My delegation rejects this position which has no basis under international law. Every three minutes, a victim of drug abuse loses his life to drugs. Drug trafficking robs victims of their lives, liberty and security, wreaking havoc on families and the larger societies. The application of the death penalty and the types of crimes for which the death penalty is applied is a criminal justice matter for the competent authorities of individual states to decide, based on their national circumstances.
6 Further, it is simplistic to think that decriminalisation of drugs will result in lower crime rates, cripple transnational organised crime networks, and improve the quality of life of drug abusers. Illicit drugs are harmful, and their harmful effects on society should not be tolerated.
7 We are fortunate that in Singapore, the drug and crime situation is under control. The absolute number of crimes continued to decline for the fourth year in a row, and our crime rate reached a 30-year low in 2013. This is possible because Singaporeans understand, and support a tough zero-tolerance stance against drug abuse. Our approach to dealing with the drug problem, and its associated externalities, is a holistic and comprehensive one. It comprises of four key strategies.
Preventive Education
8 Firstly, preventive education. As prevention is better than cure, it is imperative to reach out to young people early to prevent them from ever setting foot on the pernicious path of drug abuse. We partner all stakeholders in the community – including educators and parents – and use social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and blogs, to reach out to youths to spread the message about the damaging effects of drug abuse.
Upstream Intervention
9 Second, upstream intervention for young first-time drug abusers. We have strengthened early intervention programmes, recruited more case workers and counsellors, to partner our law enforcement officers to rehabilitate young drug abusers and help them turn over a new leaf. A Community Rehabilitation Centre has been set up earlier this year, where young drug abusers will go to school during the day, before returning for counselling and other intervention programmes in the evening.
Effective Rehabilitation
10 Third, effective rehabilitation. Our data have shown that repeat drug offenders continue to account for more than two-thirds of those arrested for drug offences. Comprehensive programmes are in place to help those who are more entrenched in the abuse of drugs break free from this vicious cycle and integrate into society. Not only do we help wean them off the addiction through effective supervision, monitoring, and the provision of half-way houses, we also help ex-abusers find jobs and accommodation, and receive support from the family and community.
11 Singapore recognises that beating addiction is not an easy task and certainly not one that can be undertaken by the abuser alone. Our Yellow Ribbon Community Project provides assistance and support to the families of abusers.
Strong Enforcement and Detection
12 Finally, we have empowered our law enforcement agencies to list and seize new illicit drugs, such as New Psychoactive Substances (NPS). Coupled with dedicated officers, we have scored notable successes in our war on drugs. In 2013, we seized 72kg of heroin, which can potentially feed the drug habit of close to 8,000 abusers for a month. This represents a 150 percent increase from five years ago. Our law enforcement agencies also work closely with regional partners to disrupt and close down drug trafficking rings.
A Society Free From Drugs
Madam Chairperson,
13 Singapore and Singaporeans have chosen to strive for a society that is free from drugs, not one that is tolerant of drugs. Our drug-prevention initiatives have rather successfully kept the drug problem under control, and we are confident that it will continue to do so, through our comprehensive strategy and multi-stakeholder approach. This is not a fight we intend to give up. As a responsible member of the international community, and to fulfil our duty to our people, we remain fully committed to support and partner fellow UN member states in our global fight against the problem of drug abuse. Thank you.
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