'Radio Security' discusses the harmful effects of narcotics

The programme “Radio Security” organized by Directorate of Security Media at the Ministry of Interior in cooperation with Bahrain Radio hosted Captain Mohammed Ali Al Qahtani, the Head of Operation Division at the Directorate of Anti-Narcotics, and the Therapist Bassim Jassim Al Abbad at the Reform and Rehabilitation Center. At the beginning of the programme, Captain Mohammed Al Qahtani said that the General Directorate of Anti- narcotics adopted a strategy to combat that harmful scourge by two ways, first, combating the supply through targeting the smuggling networks gangs, by sudden campaigns and intensive search and investigations to address them. The second, by combating demand through professional awareness with advanced methods, and focusing on the targeted group by setting up exhibitions and awareness seminars. Captain Mohammed Al-Qahtani stressed that Bahrain was the least country to have the narcotics problem, which was estimated 0.5%, where the Directorate of Anti-Narcotics continuously combating that scourge. Captain Mohammed Al-Qahtani said that there were 660 cases of smuggling that were caught in 2011, pointing out that the penalty vary depending on the type and quantity of narcotics caught. He also said that in case citizens and residents had any information about narcotics dealers, they should report about them through the hotline number for the Directorate of Anti-Narcotics 17715579, where issues would be dealt with full confidentiality and seriousness. For his part, Bassim Al Abbad stressed that the Reform and rehabilitation Directorate would treat the drug addicts by an integrated programme, where they transfer those who had a desire to recover into a special building to qualify them to engage in the community. Al Abbad also explained how to identify the addict at home by observing their absence or delay from home for long periods at night and also by observing their behaviors if they were normal or abnormal such as the increase in demanding money.