Drug-related cases in Bahrain under control: Interior Minister

TDT | Manama                                                

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com     

The rate of drug-related complaints in Bahrain has stabilized at less than 3% of the total reported crime-related cases over the past three years.

This comes as the Kingdom joins the world in marking the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking today.

The Interior Ministry said that it is crucial to combat drugs at the borders, at homes, sports clubs, schools, and youth centres, as well as in the media and cyberspace.

The Interior Minister and Chairman of the National Committee for Drug Control, Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, noted that the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution in 1987 designating June 25 as International Day Against Drugs.

"There are more than 270 million drug users worldwide, according to reports from the United Nations for 2022. Looking at the drug-related reports, we can see that the situation in Bahrain has not changed over the last three years," he said.

Shaikh Rashid delivered a speech in which he said: "I would like to express my gratitude to the General Department of Investigation and Criminal Evidence, particularly the Drug Enforcement Department, for their sincere and ongoing efforts to fulfil their security responsibility.

We also want to express our gratitude to all the ministries, institutions, and individuals who contributed to and worked with us." On this occasion, they showed a brief video clip outlining the two main approaches used to combat drug use: the first is fighting supply and demand, and the second is creating a modern awareness system that uses cutting-edge technologies as a method and approach.

The video also discussed awareness campaigns and how well they complemented efforts to maintain control within the context of striving to benefit society and preserve its capabilities. A national project has been launched to use artificial intelligence to track drug addiction recovery rates.

The project is being used to identify people who are most likely to relapse using a range of artificial intelligence techniques and to offer assistance to families and other psychological supporters throughout the course of treatment and recovery.