380 Public Order
departments and NGOs to secondary school students carry the right message and the most current findings and trends.
To intensify education and publicity on the anti-drug front, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Drug InfoCentre (DIC), the first ever exhibition centre dedicated to drug education in Hong Kong, was commissioned for public use in June 2004. The centre is a two-storey exhibition hall of 900 square metres comprising exhibition areas, an interactive theatre, a library, an info cafe and a classroom. Through multi-media exhibits and interactive games, visitors learn more about drugs, the harm caused by drug abuse and methods of prevention. In the interactive theatre, a movie about young people and drugs is shown. Viewers have an opportunity to take part in discussions and vote on a character's drug-taking decision. The division provides guided tours and drug education programmes for students visiting the centre. Since its commissioning, 18 689 visitors have made use of this new facility, and 119 education programmes for 6 344 students were delivered there. Another 112 programmes were conducted for 4 781 members of uniform groups, youth centres, rehabilitation centres and community organisations. Anti-drug officials from the Mainland, Singapore, Macao, Japan, Israel, Australia and Vietnam have also visited the Centre.
Youngsters continued to be the main target of anti-drug publicity and education. In conjunction with RTHK, the division in March launched a project, Beating Drugs, Power Touch, making use of a multi-media platform on the Internet to disseminate anti-drug messages to youngsters. In addition, a series of six thematic gatherings with teenagers featuring performance and sharing sessions with rehabilitated drug abusers, parents, a doctor, a social worker and young artistes were organised. Footage of the gatherings were uploaded and broadcast on RTHK's new web channel, Teen Power.
A publicity campaign, Real Friends Don't Offer Drugs, was launched in June. New TV and radio Announcements in the Public Interest (APIs) and posters were produced to call upon young people to make the right decisions and use peer influence to sway friends from taking drugs.
Publicity was enhanced during festive seasons and summer holidays. In addition to advertisements on electronic media, public transport and giant wall banners, posters carrying this year's theme were sent to the major karaoke operators for display during Christmas and New Year. The poster was also adopted as a screen saver for their computer selection system.
With the help of a mobile phone network provider, Short Messaging System (SMS) messages were sent to young mobile phone users aged 15 to 25 to remind them not to take drugs at Christmas.
Drug Abuse, Statistics and Trends
Statistics on drug abuse are supplied by the Central Registry of Drug Abuse (CRDA). Information on drug abusers is collated by the Registry through a wide network of reporting agencies, including law enforcement departments, treatment and welfare agencies, hospitals and clinics. The CRDA computer system is being