LEADER of Opposition Hon Matthew Wale has raised utter disappointment that there are still gaps in the amendment to the Dangerous Drugs Act for methamphetamine offenders.
Hon Wale shared his dissatisfaction when the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) appeared before the Bills & Legislations Committee (BLC) today.
The Opposition Leader said he is concerned that the new rules are too specific to the name meth.
“What happens when it is slightly altered and not strictly meth and they call it something new. We name meth specifically but these people have labs that could alter meth and change its name and it becomes another problem for us. Will this be another gap and people will be able to walk free again? Hon Wale questioned.
RSIPF executives that appeared before the BLC acknowledged that at the moment only meth was listed so if it were to be altered it would be another problem.
A disappointed Hon Wale questioned why this was never discussed during the consultations before making the changes.
“Any other alteration to meth will become a problem for us. This is something police and health must seriously consider. The rules needed a bit of flexibility to assume the possibilities of this happening in future,” the Opposition Leader suggested.
Hon Wale questioned whether this was considered and if so why was it not included.
He said police is the number one law enforcement agency when it comes to drugs and all illicit materials so they should be leading consultations to guide policy on this matter.
“Surely the police could have an opinion,” he said.
The Opposition Leader urged the police and other authorities to make relevant changes and sharpen the rules so it could be flexible enough to rope in any future changes to the elements of meth.
“It is a serious problem and I am sensing authorities are not serious enough,” he said.
The BLC was also informed that the first case of meth was reported in 2016 and has already spread to the communities and provinces.
RSIPF informed BLC that Solomon Islands is already in the centre of the meth problem.
Hon Wale has urged the police to work closely with security partners Australia and China for a more robust and zero tolerance approach to the matter.
The Opposition Leader has also urged the Government to prioritize resourcing police and law enforcement agencies to do their work efficiently.
Hon Wale said it is unsatisfactory to note that police could not respond to a narco sub located in Makira in December last year until today.
“Our biggest challenge is the first response we should undertake to stop these subs getting into our waters and it needs serious regional cooperation,” he said.
Hon Wale said police need maximum powers to deal with these issues not only with foreigners but locals as well.
– Opposition Press
