KAJANG: Some 110 National Anti-Drug Agency (AADK) officers nationwide will be assigned to the new Mobile Recovery Treatment (MRT) team.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said for the first phase, the agency's MRT service has two teams consisting of eight officers.

"We aim to expand it.

"We have identified 110 officers who will be placed in MRT teams at state headquarters nationwide," he told a press conference after launching the MRT service on Friday (May 20).

Hamzah hailed the agency's proactiveness in introducing the new service.

"It will enable the agency to reach out to its clients instead of the clients going to them.

"The new service will also enable the agency to provide services on the outskirts as well. We will focus on those who are facing difficulties getting to AADK facilities," he said.

The pilot project for the MRT service was conducted last year among prison inmates facing drug addiction, Hamzah said.

"It received a good response.

"Cooperation between the AADK and the Prisons Department is a new problem-solving approach to curb the drug problem among inmates," he added.

The MRT service will also be used by clients at AADK institutions who are in need of special intervention such as attempted suicide as well as reluctance or resistance to treatment, he noted. 

"The Welfare Department is also working with AADK, and will use the MRT service to provide treatment to its clients.

"I am confident the MRT, which offers mobile and community-based approaches, will get a great response from the public as its programmes are more flexible and based on clients' needs," he said.

Hamzah said that based on this year's Drug Addiction Prevalence Study, for every drug user or addict detected by authorities, there are four others still at large.

"Some 123,139 users and addicts were detected last year so, based on the above ratio, at least 492,556 others are still not receiving the necessary treatment.

"We believe drug abuse has shifted from organic drugs to synthetic drugs.

"A total of 69.8% of users are on synthetic drugs. It is even more worrying that 66% of total users are aged between 19 and 39," he said. 

Last year, the AADK had 73,113 community clients and 7,133 clients in institutions, Hamzah said.

"About 15,000 clients completed their treatment. However, 5,877 relapsed.

"Among the factors identified are lack of family support, society's negative perception, their own attitude, and peer pressure," he said.

Hamzah also called on the police, especially the Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID), to cooperate more with AADK in fighting the drug menace.

"New (successes) can be achieved through cooperation among the relevant agencies.

"We must focus on reducing the number of addicts and strike decisively against those involved in drug trafficking.

"Drugs have been the nation's No 1 enemy for 40 years and we don't want it to remain so for another 40 years," he said.

He added that the ministry will also push for more training for AADK officers so that they will have more expertise in treating users and addicts.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/05/20/anti-drug-agency-to-add-110-officers-to-mobile-recovery-treatment-teams