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 (NST) 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.

Director of Integrity and Standards Compliance Department (JIPS), CP Dato’ Sri 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, Dato’ Sri 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.

Read further on the New Straits Times’ article attached.