Commissioner of Prisons Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu has revealed 70% of inmates detained in prisons are involved in cases related to drugs.
The commissioner made the remarks in a ceremony held to conclude the “Training on Basic Psychosocial Education Programme” and “Drug Education Awareness Programme” held for prison officers. The programmes were held jointly by the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) and United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).
Speaking at the ceremony, Commissioner Ahmed Mohamed Fulhu said despite national-level discussions on ways to resolve the issue of drug abuse, effective solutions are yet to be achieved. The commissioner said the reason an effective solution has not been brought is the high level at which drug abuse is spread across the society as well as prisons. He noted about 70% of inmates detained in prisons are involved in cases related to drugs.
As per the statistics of MCS, about 0.5 kilogrammes of drugs have been seized from prisons during the first six months of this year, in different drug operations carried out in prisons. The prisons commissioner said efforts are ongoing to analyse the routes from which drugs are supplied to prisons, noting there are difficulties in maintaining security effectively due to lack of some modern resources. He added MCS has also revised its structure and professional standards to eliminate the role of prison officers in smuggling drugs into prisons.
In his remarks, the commissioner noted discussions are ongoing with some state-owned companies to facilitate work opportunities for inmates under parole. He also said discussions are ongoing with relevant authorities to allocate punishments other than prison for certain small crimes.
The “Training on Basic Psychosocial Education Programme” and “Drug Education Awareness Programme” were held from July 17-29. The programmes were completed by 23 officers of MCS.