PUBLIC ORDER
Police Force at 'black spots' for psychotropic substance trafficking has also been enhanced. (Details of the work in combating drug trafficking by the Police Force and the Customs and Excise Department are referred to earlier in this chapter sections on Narcotics under Police Force and Anti-narcotics Operations under Customs and Excise).
Treatment and Rehabilitation
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Hong Kong adopts a multi-modality approach in providing treatment and rehabilitation services to cater for the different needs of drug dependent persons from varying backgrounds.
The main types of drug treatment and rehabilitation programmes include a compulsory drug treatment programme operated by the Correctional Services Department, a voluntary out-patient methadone treatment programme provided by the Department of Health, and voluntary residential programmes run by non- governmental organisations including several Christian therapeutic drug treatment agencies. Counselling services for psychotropic substance abusers are provided by PS33 of the Hong Kong Christian Service, Caritas HUGS Centre and Cheer Lutheran Centre while medical and psychiatric treatment for psychotropic substance abusers is provided by the six substance abuse clinics under the Hospital Authority. Two teams of specially trained social workers operating under the Against Substance Abuse Scheme of the Social Welfare Department are available to help occasional/experimental substance abusers under 21 years old.
During the year, an inter-departmental working group was formed to follow up on the recommendations of the second Three-year Plan on Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Services in Hong Kong. Apart from giving an overview of the drug abuse trend and major developments in the past years, the second plan outlined the present and projected demands of different drug treatment and rehabilitation modalities and provided pointers for future improvement.
Pursuant to the second plan, the Social Welfare Department will set up two additional counselling centres for psychotropic substance dependent persons in 2002-2003.
In September, a seminar entitled Striving Towards Excellence in the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Psychotropic Substance Abusers: A Multi-disciplinary and Integrated Approach was organised jointly by the Hospital Authority, the Social Welfare Department and the Narcotics Division. The seminar provided a forum for participants to share and exchange views on ways to improve the provision of integrated medical and psychosocial rehabilitation services for substance abusers, and to explore the feasibility of development of protocol for screening of poly-drug abusers. The seminar was attended by 280 medical practitioners, social workers, anti- drug workers of non-governmental organisations and representatives of government departments.
In March, the Narcotics Division published a Report on Review of the Methadone Treatment Programme. The review concluded that the programme, comprising both maintenance and detoxification elements, should be continued. During the year, an inter-departmental working group was set up to follow up on the recommendations of the review report. Various improvement measures will be implemented. These include expansion of the Sham Shui Po Methadone Clinic to provide enhanced
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