Drug convicts: New rehabilitation centre likely

Dubai:  Police are studying a proposal for a new rehabilitation centre for Emirati drug addicts.

Maj Gen Abdul Jalil Al Mahdi, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Dubai Police which has submitted the proposal, said such a centre will enable drug addicts to serve their jail terms in a separate centre instead of the Dubai Central Jail.

The previous rehabilitation centre for drug addicts in Dubai was shut down in 2005 and converted into the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children.

Several meetings are being held with Dubai Prosecution, the courts, the Ministry of Health and other agencies in this regard.

"It's a moral and professional obligation that I try to help open such a centre," he said, adding that the department is making efforts to create greater awareness about drug abuse.

Mission: Save a life

The rehabilitation centre, if approved, will accommodate Emiratis convicted by the court on drug consumption charges. They will spend their terms at the centre, receiving medical, psychological and social support. "Even if we save one life, that would be a success," said Maj Gen Al Mahdi.

Meanwhile, Dubai Police Chief Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim said the mechanism of combating drugs in the UAE needs to be revised. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, he called for ending pardons granted to those involved in drug-related cases more than once.

He added that he had submitted a suggestion a long time ago to stop imprisoning addicts the first time they are arrested and to instead refer them to a rehabilitation centre.

A total of 1,049 drug cases were registered in 2009 as against 1,102 the previous year.