Hurdles in drug fight remain for police

Nearly 29,000 kilograms of drugs were seized by police in Guangdong during an anti-drug operation from August 2013 to December. Liang Guanhua / for China Daily

A lack of focus on the drug problem and insufficient help for addicts are the biggest obstacles police face in tackling drug-related crimes, according to the Ministry of Public Security on Wednesday.

In October, the ministry initiated a special action that by the end of the year had uncovered 52,800 drug crimes and led to the arrest of 60,500 suspects, increases of 42.9 percent and 47.5 percent over the same period in 2013, figures provided by the ministry show.

Police also seized 11 metric tons of various drugs.

"Although we have achieved a certain amount of success, fighting drug-related crimes remains a long-term process," Liu Yuejin, director of the ministry's Narcotics Control Bureau, was quoted by China Central Television as saying.

He said some local government officials lack awareness and pay little attention to controlling drugs and to the potential risks of drug-related crimes.

"Incentives for infrastructure investment seem to surpass those for drug prohibition work," Liu said.

He said there is a lack of professional capability in combating drug crimes, and many anti-drug police officers can't adapt to current drug prohibition work due to old equipment and insufficient personnel.

As Spring Festival comes and large numbers of migrant workers return home, the examination and rehabilitation of suspects need to be conducted with special care, he said.

"Especially in China's border areas, such as Yunnan and Guangxi, which border Myanmar and Vietnam, we should enhance the investigation of suspicious people and vehicles to prevent cross-border drug-smuggling," he said.

According to Liu, drug prohibition work and rehabilitation tasks have been carried out insufficiently in communities, where neighborhood staff should conduct regular investigations of addicts, help them abandon drugs and publicize the harms of drugs.

In addition, China produces large supplies of chemicals that can easily be used to produce drugs, especially in areas of Guangdong, Hubei and Hunan provinces.

"The ongoing countrywide campaign has now entered the most crucial phase," Liu said.

Anti-narcotics officers around the country will take the initiative to uncover major drug crimes and target the main gang suspects.

In addition, they will enhance judicial cooperation with other countries with a view to sharing intelligence and case investigation to bust major transnational drug-smuggling gangs.

CCTV - China Daily

Zhang Yan and Zhong Yimeng contributed to this story.