ENG-2009 — Page 386

314 Public Order

Treatment and Rehabilitation, comprising members of diverse background and expertise.

Following the release of the Report of the Task Force on Youth Drug Abuse, ND set up an inter-departmental working group in early 2009 to co-ordinate and monitor efforts in implementing the recommendations. These included the implementation of various short to medium measures and preparations for taking forward the longer term initiatives. In July 2009, the Chief Executive announced the further stepping up of the anti-drug campaign along five directions, namely community awareness and mobilisation, community support, drug testing, treatment and rehabilitation, and law enforcement.

Legislation and enforcement

Regular reviews are conducted to see whether amendments or revisions to the existing ordinances are needed to deal with changes in the drugs world. The Police, Customs and Excise Department as well as the Department of Health spared no efforts to take actions against drug crimes. A total of 827 kilogrammes and 15 442 tablets of dangerous drugs were seized in the year and 8 181 persons were arrested for drug-related offences.

Treatment and Rehabilitation

ND works with its anti-drug partners to provide a variety of treatment and rehabilitation services for drug abusers from different background. The major services include a compulsory drug treatment programme run by the Correctional Services Department, a voluntary methadone outpatient treatment programme operated by the Department of Health, and voluntary residential programmes run by NGOs. The seven substance abuse clinics (SACs) under the Hospital Authority provide psychiatric treatment for substance abusers. In addition, the Counselling Centres for Psychotropic Substance Abusers (CCPSAs), operated by NGOs and subvented by the Social Welfare Department (SWD), provide community-based services to psychotropic substance abusers.

Under the Drug Dependent Persons Treatment and Rehabilitation Centres (Licensing) Ordinance, the treatment centres offering voluntary residential treatment and rehabilitation service to four or more drug dependent persons are required to be licensed by the SWD to ensure that the centres meet relevant safety and management requirements. By year-end, 17 centres were operating with licences, while certificates of exemption were issued to 23 centres that had been operating before the ordinance went into effect.

The Fifth Three-Year Plan on Drug Treatment and Rehabilitation Services (2009/2011) was released on April 2, 2009. A host of medium-term recommendations in the Task Force Report have been developed further and taken forward. These include strengthening multi-disciplinary collaboration, provision of training for anti-drug workers and enhancing treatment and rehabilitation programmes in terms of capacity and sophistication.