Crime in HCMC to ease following compulsory drug detoxification: official

The official made the forecast at a meeting of the city People’s Council’s Legislation Committee on Tuesday, which focused on outstanding issues related to crime and drug abuse.

Major General Minh told the meeting that most criminals in the city are drug addicts who, in an attempt to get money to buy drugs, commit crimes including thefts, robbery and even murder.

In the first nine months of this year, city police uncovered 3,009 criminal cases, and most of the offenders were drug addicts, he said.

Therefore, these addicts – who now number 19,000, up by 7,000 from late last year – will be sent to social centers for compulsory drug detoxification while pending orders issued by courts to officially admit them to rehab centers, the official said.

The obligatory detoxification has been approved by a National Assembly resolution to allow local authorities nationwide to set up obligatory drug detoxification centers for homeless drug addicts.

The resolution was issued following a proposal from city authorities who want to restrain the rising number of drug addicts and ease public concerns about their presence in public places.

These centers will help stop a drug addict’s rush on the spot, offer them preliminary detoxification, and provide them with psychological consultancy, pending relevant orders issued by courts, the official said.

Pursuant to the Law on the Handling of Administrative Violations, which took effect on January 1, 2014, addicts can be sent to a drug detoxification facility only when a court judgment is issued for this purpose and when they fail to stay sober after being monitored for three to six months by local authorities.

Now, with the NA approval, the city authorities are proceeding with the collection, classification and allocation of drug addicts to ten compulsory drug detoxification centers.

In a report delivered to the NA on October 29, Minister of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs Pham Thi Hai Chuyen said the number of drug addicts in Vietnam increases by 7,000 every year, and the figure stood at over 200,000 as of the end of September.