Mr Ng Ser Song, Director CNB
CNB officers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Introduction
preventive drug education,
enforcement,
international engagement and advocacy.
Preventive drug education
remains at the forefront of our strategy in this fight against drugs.
such as teachers, parents
and NS Commanders.
to equip them with knowledge on drugs
so they can better engage their children and their NSmen
to influence and help them stay away from drugs.
They are important influencers.
across social media platforms from Facebook, Instagram to YouTube.
Social media is an important platform in this new media world.
Taufik hits the right notes with “High on Love”.
Irfan Fandi scores among the young
with his messages on staying drug free.
Drug enforcement
for their drug trade.
In 2016, there were 201 persons arrested for buying drugs and drug paraphernalia online,
compared to just 30 in 2015.
to apprehend those who seek to evade the long arm of the law.
for putting up with your long hours at work.
Your families have sacrificed.
You have given up family time.
To save lives.
To keep this country drug-free
and we have been successful on this count.
International engagement and local advocacy
It has international and regional dimensions.
And CNB has also done well in these areas.
to stem the supply of drugs overseas.
we participated actively at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS),
where we stood up for our vision of a drug-free society.
we took a clear and firm stance against drugs.
Together with our ASEAN neighbours, we delivered a joint statement at the Meeting to reaffirm our vision for a Drug-Free ASEAN.
We have to continually engage the international community to ensure that our national interest to maintain a zero-tolerance stand on drugs
will not be compromised.
Challenges
we face many challenges.
Our manpower supply will be increasingly constrained.
The public wants us to be more efficient,
to respond to their queries quickly.
Shifting global trends
Under pressure from a worsening drug problem in their societies,
some governments are moving towards a harm reduction rather than harm prevention approach which is the position we are taking in Singapore.
This is a dangerous slippery slope.
They glamourise drug use,
But they do not talk about the harms of drugs.
Youth drug abusers
Close to two-thirds of all new abusers arrested were below 30 years old.
former drug offenders and youths.
has seeped into the minds of some of our youths.
we are potentially looking at a new generation of drug abusers.
Transformation is a necessity
And CNB needs to ready itself for the future.
and has embarked on a transformative journey
to stay ahead of the curve in the fight against drugs.
Using Social Media to Reach Out to the Youths
Negative online influences can easily corrode the minds of our young.
but we need to know who
and what we are up against.
We have to make sure our videos and ads
present the real truths.
empower them with information on the harms of drugs
and send a clear message that a drug free life is indeed cool.
Messages have to be in sync with this generation.
so we need to keep up with the times and latest trends.
We need to use humour, wit,
use youth lingo
present information in digestible format,
the way our young are used to,
to send youths the serious and hard messages,
to empower them to lead a drug-free lifestyle.
we have to live life to the fullest.
Empowering and creation of an active citizenry
to empower our citizens
to spread the anti-drug advocacy
to compete with the negative voices online.
to endorse and promote Singapore’s anti-drug stance.
Launch of “United Against Drugs” Coalition
have taken the lead to form a “United Against Drugs” Coalition.
Bringing together the different organisations
in the anti-drug ecosystem to support the drug-free cause.
in our society
and rally support from different organisations
to advocate for a drug-free Singapore.
that youths are familiar with.
They are brands who understand the importance of youths leading drug-free lifestyles.
Will join us to promote this anti-drug cause
Anti-drug Advocacy Network
colleagues and mentors
to promote a drug-free lifestyle.
Together, we can be louder than those voices
who are asking for a liberalisation of drug policies.
like Dr Roger Ho and Dr Melvyn Zhang.
by developing a PDE mobile app with their medical students,
to educate youths on the harms of drugs.
and share their skills
and expertise to promote a drug-free lifestyle.
Harnessing the power of technology
is an excellent example.
It allows officers the flexibility to share information digitally
and to collaborate with external agencies to process cases
in a timely and efficient manner.
To reduce the amount of manual tasks
So that our officers can better focus on their core work.
Integrating the Home Team’s operations
This will enhance the way we communicate
and share information across the Home Team departments.
It will enable the Home Team departments to respond and work better together.
which have started or are in the pipeline.
Conclusion
to weed out drug abuse in our society
This fight is not going to be easy.
It will be a long and hard process.
with the dedication, professionalism, and resourcefulness of CNB and its officers, supported by its partners and the community,
that we will be able to achieve success.