The Bhutanese Leading the way.
T he police have arrested 364 people in connection to drug-related offence since a major crack down operation to make Bhutan a drug- free zone , starting from December last year till February 26, 2014.
The news was announced by Chief of police during the press conference held at the police head quarter yesterday.
During the operation, out of 364 people arrested, 35 of them were working in various Government agencies while some were in officers’ level. Out of the total arrest made, there were 14 females who were mostly arrested in Thimphu and Phuentsholing.
67 of them were charged for trafficking of substance, 144 for the offence of drug abuse and possession of illegal substance. 152 were booked for abuse of drug and one of them, recently arrested, is still under investigation.
Chief of Police, Brigadier Kipchu Namgyel said that operation will continue and no leniency will be shown when it comes to drugs. “I appeal to the public, to think every youth as their own child and help police in curbing the drug issue in the country,” the Police Chief added.
He also said there will be a surprise and general search conducted on the highway across the country though there will be inconvenience caused to the public, and requested the general public to cooperate with the police.
Also during the press conference, for the first time,police had prepared an annual crime statistics for the year 2012 and 2013. The objective was to make the crime figures transparent among the media and share about the crime scenario which has been compiled with the police.
Announcing during the press conference, the Chief of Police also shared that with the mandate and declaration made during the Police Raising Day, there has been decrease in the crime by 6% last year as compared to 2012.
Crime in Thimphu has decreased by 15 cases, while crime rate Chhukha has decreased by 47 cases in 2013. Thimphu has the highest recorded crime of 1,250 cases followed by Chhukha with 342 cases in 2013.
Wangduephodrang has the highest increase of 86 cases, followed by Trashigang with 42 cases, Mongar recorded 41 cases, Trashiyangtse has 13 cases, Haa with 8 cases, Punakha recorded 6 cases, Bumthang with 5 cases and 1 case each for Zhemgang, Tsirang and Dagana.
Chhukha recorded the highest decrease of 47 cases, followed by Paro with a decrease of 37 cases, Samtse by 34 cases, Sarpang saw a fall of 21 cases, Pemagatshel with a decrease of 17 cases, Thimphu saw 15 less cases, Trongsa with 6 cases decrease, Lhuentse with 5 cases, Gasa 3 cases and SamdrupJongkhar 2 cases decrease last year.
The top five crimes committed were assault and battery, larceny, burglary, offence against Ku-Sung-Thukten and drug- related offence.
Regarding the motor vehicle offences, there is decrease by 22.2% in 2013. Only Wangdue saw an increase of 6 cases as compared to previous years.
Thimphu tops the chart of Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) with 741 cases, followed by Chhukha with 186 cases, Wangdue with 38 cases and Paro with 37 cases last year.
In year 2012, a total of 1,407 cases of MVA from across the country were recorded with traffic police while the figure has decreased to 1,094 cases last year.
Chief of Police attributed to the drivers for driving safe and complying with the traffic rules for the decrease in the number of MVA. Chief also hope to get more of such cooperation from the public this year as well.
Chencho Dema
