REHABILITATION OF DRUG ADDICTS (Compulsory aftercare service)

Mr Teo Chong Tee asked the Minister for Home Affairs and Education what measures are being taken to improve the compulsory aftercare service to drug addicts in view of the large number of addicts who are released from the Drug Rehabilitation Centres.

The Minister for Home Affairs and Education (Mr Chua Sian Chin): Mr Speaker, Sir, during the first seven months of Operation Ferret launched on 1st April, 1977, a total of 5,108 addicts were sent to the drug rehabilitation centres for treatment and rehabilitation. Of these cases, 897 have been released and placed under compulsory aftercare in addition to those cases arrested and placed under supervision, before 1st April, 1977. As more drug addicts are released, the pressure for aftercare service will increase.

To meet this increased demand for aftercare service and further reduce the relapse rate, compulsory aftercare will be provided in two ways. First, supervision officers will see to it that the supervisees strictly observe the conditions of the Supervision Order. One of the conditions which supervisees have to comply with is to present themselves for weekly urine tests at police stations. This will be supplemented by surprise urine tests. These checks will enable those who have relapsed to be detected quickly so that they can be straightaway sent back to the drug rehabilitation centres or prosecuted in court.

The Misuse of Drugs (Amendment) Bill now before the House provides for a mandatory sentence of three years' jail for those who were previously convicted for consumption of drugs if they were found to have gone back to drugs while under supervision. For those supervisees with no previous conviction for consumption of drugs but who have relapsed will be re-admitted to the drug rehabilitation centres for a longer period of up to two years.

Proposals for additional staff for the Probation and Aftercare Service and the Central Narcotics Bureau to carry out this supervision function have already been submitted to the Ministry of Finance.

Second, the voluntary counsellors of the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association (SANA) will provide counselling to the supervisees. SANA has to-date 600 volunteers trained or being trained. I am informed that many more from religious and social organisations are coming forward to volunteer their services.

The supervision officers will work closely with the voluntary counsellors from SANA. In this way we should be able to monitor adequately the progress of the large number of supervisees.