The Bhutanese Leading the way.
During 115th National Day Royal Address, His Majesty The King expressed, “One issue poses a huge threat to our national security, economy, and the wellbeing of our people and our children, and above all, the future of our nation: drugs and substance abuse.”
“We are a small population. Every child is precious. We cannot afford to lose any child or for that matter, anyone to substance abuse. We must not allow substance abuse to jeopardize their future. Substance abuse is already taking root among our children, and we cannot let it proliferate. We must act now before it is too late, and do whatever it takes to eradicate this threat. Failure is not an option,” His Majesty said.
The Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) recorded 290 drug-related cases from all around the nation in 2021. As of 18 December 2022, a total of 684 drug related cases have been registered with RBP. The number of cases has increased, as per RBP.
Thimphu has always contributed the highest numbers, with 318 cases, followed by Chukha with 89 cases, and Paro with 73 cases as per the statistics from RBP, of the total cases registered in 2022.
According to the Deputy Chief of Police of Crime and Operation, Colonel Passang Dorji, RBP would intensify its efforts, leading to a surge of arrests and overcrowding in the detention centers.
He said that the detention centers are already overcrowded due to the large number of arrests. And now that RBP is going to crack down with this intensified checking and patrolling, there will be more crowding.
“Everything is on track, and everyone is focused. There is night patrolling and day patrolling, as well as surveillance going on, and taskforces in plain clothes and uniforms are already on the job, and we intend to crack down. And we will undoubtedly make every effort to ensure that such issues are resolved to the greatest extent possible. And we will fix such people,” he said.
He stated that RBP is intensifying its efforts to monitor and curb the drug demand, as well as advocate on preventative measures.
“Everyone is working. There have been several seizures and arrests. We have increased border monitoring and inspection at the borders. The mobility of people and cars has also been strictly monitored. Everything is in place,” he said.
RBP is targeting the traffickers and drug abusers. He stated that a large number of individuals are trafficking, and that they are attempting to get to the bottom of the problem. “These people who are supplying and trafficking are the main trouble creators. They’re bringing it from across the borders, and the consumers are our youth, and our youth are being spoilt,” he added.
He asserted that a large number of individuals are becoming involved in drug trafficking business, which they get from across the border.
“There are several players that are looking into this including civil agencies. However, why are they not doing their job? We want them to do their share of the job. Ours is only the enforcement component, although we offer a hand with everything, such as enforcement, monitoring, and awareness, but there are agencies who are meant to look after this,” he asserted.
He stated that people must be cautious since those who traffic and abuse drugs are also sons and daughters of somebody.
“I mean to say, they have a family, but why isn’t this family taking care of their kids, brothers, or sisters? Why aren’t they trying to monitor them? Why are they not advising? Are they also involved? The boy or the girl is spoiling himself or herself as well as the lives of other young people in our country. Aren’t they the citizens of the country who should be concerned about this problem?” he questioned.
He said, “As His Majesty stated, security has a lot of dimensions, and you must see all the angles for the country’s prosperity and development. And this is one security measure in which everyone must participate in order to keep the country safe.”
