Committee of Supply – Head P (Ministry of Home Affairs)

Mr Chairman, let me first thank the Members for their indulgence to continue this debate beyond 7.30 pm.

I will now speak about drug abuse, re-offending, community support and engagement.

Mr Vikram Nair and Dr Intan Azura asked about updates on the current drug situation, especially among youths, and their rehabilitation.

I would like to start by describing the regional drug situation to set this context. Regional drug production in methamphetamine and poppy cultivation continues to set record highs. According to the 2012 UNODC Report, which is the latest, heroin and methamphetamine seizures in Southeast Asia increased significantly by 41% and 23% respectively in 2011 when compared to 2010. Drug syndicates, therefore, continue to carry out large-scale illegal drug production and distribution in our midst. This poses a challenge to the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and our regional partners.

My Ministry is watching these trends very closely. While local heroin seizures dropped slightly between 2011 and 2012, methamphetamine seizures have increased more than three times from 14 kilograms to 51 kilograms over the same period, with around eight kilograms of methamphetamine meant for local market consumption. But, mind you, this amount for local market consumption alone can feed the addiction of at least 1,000 drug abusers over 30 days.

To answer Mr Vikram Nair's question on the situation regarding the abuse of synthetic drugs, the key challenge going forward will be methamphetamine, or "Ice" abuse. Among new abusers arrested, methamphetamine has replaced

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heroin as their drug of choice, being the drug abused by 56% of all new drug abusers in 2012. And what is more worrying is that the profile of methamphetamine abusers is younger and most of whom take drugs with no real appreciation of the danger they are putting themselves in. The initial effect of methamphetamine abuse is deceivingly harmless. Just this week, a brother of an offender who came to my Meet-the-People Session (MPS) said his brother who was abusing methamphetamine and was being detained at the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) looks normal.

Let us be clear about the dangers of methamphetamine. It is a misperception among younger people that it is less addictive and less harmful than heroin. This is not true. Some youths use methamphetamine to lose weight, some to keep up their energy levels. I know a case of a young girl who used methamphetamine to lose weight and, as a result, she almost lost her life. In the short term, methamphetamine abusers will suffer from insomnia, psychosis and convulsions. Prolonged abuse of methamphetamine leads to long-term health problems, such as liver damage, stroke and, eventually, death.

Due to our zero-tolerance policy on drugs and CNB's rigorous enforcement of our laws, drug addicts are kept off our streets and the drug problem is not very visible to most Singaporeans. Compared to other countries, the problem may be invisible, but it is by no means benign. I want to stress that the drug abuse situation remains challenging. Its long-term destructive effects go beyond the individual, affecting his or her family and eventually, the wider community.

Our approach has been and remains to address the drug abuse problem holistically: tough laws and vigorous enforcement coupled with preventive education upstream. Downstream, we seek to provide opportunities for rehabilitation and aftercare in partnership with the community.

We will, therefore, strengthen our existing efforts to prevent drug offending upstream, to stop youths from even thinking about taking drugs. CNB will refresh its Preventive Drug Education (PDE) efforts. As youths today rely heavily on the Internet and social networking sites for information, we will leverage on these platforms to maximise the impact of our outreach and make use of peer advocacy as much as possible. CNB will launch a youth-oriented blog in April and with the help of young bloggers, we intend to grow a vibrant online anti-drug community with more personal anti-drug messages. It is ultimately, however, the individual's responsibility not to take drugs and we will not

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hesitate to take action against any youth today.

Because of the persistence of the problem, we are also increasing our downstream efforts, where we seek to keep people on the right path, and provide opportunities for rehabilitation and aftercare in partnership with the community. We will enhance the Direct Supervision Order for new young low-risk drug abusers. Currently, they are only required to go for regular urine tests. CNB is working with MSF to introduce a compulsory counselling component to these drug abusers by first quarter this year and we will involve their families.

For new young drug abusers who are of moderate risk, Prisons will establish a Community Rehabilitation Centre (CRC) as a step-down arrangement after a period of detention in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre. Once transferred to the CRC, these young offenders will participate in a structured residential component and attend compulsory counselling sessions in the evenings. This will, therefore, allow them to continue their education or employment in the day to minimise disruption to their daily lives. We expect the CRC operations by end 2013.

Mr Desmond Lee has expressed his concern on the re-offending problem and asked what we will do to help drug re-offenders break the re-offending cycle and reintegrate back into society. I share his concerns. Repeat offenders continue to account for more than two-thirds of those arrested for drug offences.

As highlighted by Mr Hri Kumar, about 3,000 of these repeat offenders will be released from long-term imprisonment (LT offenders) between 2013 and 2015. Many of these repeat abusers could return to drug abuse or crime, or perhaps even influence others, and especially our youths, to experiment with drugs.

Since 1 November 2012, LT offenders with higher risks of re-offending have been placed under an enhanced supervision regime. Apart from regular urine supervision, these LT offenders have been subjected to additional restrictions such as strict curfew hours and electronic monitoring. They are also required to attend counselling and case management by prison counsellors.

Mr Hri Kumar also asked for an update on the recidivism rate in 2012. The prisons recidivism rate for the 2010 release cohort has dropped to 23.6% from 26.7% for the 2009 release cohort, but even then there is no room for complacency. Although a lower recidivism rate means fewer ex-offenders are returning to the prisons, many who do are repeat offenders. Repeat offenders

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account for more than 80% of the prison population and are more likely to re-offend upon their release.

I agree with Mr Desmond Lee that more support needs to be provided to these ex-offenders in the period after their release as this is when they are most vulnerable. We must help these repeat offenders break the cycle of re-offending and transit from imprisonment to reintegration within the community. To achieve this, we will amend the Prisons Act in 2013 to introduce a Conditional Remission System (CRS). Under CRS, all inmates released at the two-third mark of their sentence will be subject to certain conditions during the remission period – something like probation in other countries. Those who breach these conditions will be taken to task.

The implementation of the CRS will also allow us to place high-risk ex-inmates on a Mandatory Aftercare Scheme (MAS). This is part of the broader through-care strategy to help inmates in the period prior to and after their release. This will be achieved through a structured step-down approach in control and supervision from prisons to the community, with the provision of aftercare support, counselling and case management upon their release. We want everyone to succeed in their rehabilitation.

As part of this through-care strategy, we will develop a halfway house in the Selarang Park Complex to provide a structured environment to supervise and rehabilitate high-risk ex-inmates emplaced in the MAS. This will complement the efforts of our current halfway house partners who will work with moderate to low-risk offenders. More details will be released in due course.

The Government will continue to commit resources and work with the community to provide opportunities for ex-offenders to rehabilitate and reintegrate back into society. However, it is ultimately the responsibility of the individual ex-offender not to re-offend. Those who break the law will be called to account. Mr Chairman, in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.]  In 2012, the number of Malay drug addicts who were arrested increased by 10%, from 1,600 in 2011, to 1,760 in 2012. This number makes up half of the 3,480 drug addicts arrested in 2012. This is still a marked improvement compared to the mid-1990s.

The number of new Malay drug addicts has gone down slightly, from 580 in 2011, to 560 in 2012. Even so, it is still a cause for concern because new

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addicts make up 30% of the total number of drug addicts arrested.

The majority of new young addicts abuse methamphetamine (ICE). They view drug taking with their friends as a fun activity and are unaware of its detrimental effects. This is something to be concerned about.

The approach taken by the Government to tackle this drug problem is comprehensive, and it includes preventive steps through education, strict laws and effective enforcement, as well as suitable rehabilitation and advanced care, that are implemented with the community's cooperation.

Family and community play an important role. A strong bond between parents and their child, as well as a forgiving nature and love, can help a young offender to return to the right path. I have seen for myself how a family that gives a second chance to a young offender, manages to leave a positive effect on that young offender.

The community also plays an important role in our effort to combat drug abuse. We will continue to work with MENDAKI and have marshalled the efforts of other Malay/Muslim organisations as well as Indian Muslim organisations, like Jamiyah and PERTAPIS and the Federation of Indian Muslims (FIM). Together, they think of other ways to assist the offenders and their families. While family and community continue to play a role to help ex-offenders, the offenders must be responsible for their own selves and work hard to lead a drug-free life.

(In English): Mr Deputy Speaker, we agree with Ms Tin Pei Ling that the support of the offender's family, volunteers and community partnerships plays a critical role in ensuring that rehabilitation and reintegration are successful. The Community Outreach Project (COP) was a key initiative launched in September 2010. It involves the community helping offenders' families link up with the relevant Government agencies for social assistance and support in other areas. Since then, the COP has grown tremendously, from a small pilot with just seven grassroots initially, to 44 divisions as of December 2012. More than 390 volunteers have been trained to reach out to over 780 families.

Let me share how COP has helped the family of an incarcerated offender. The wife was thrown into disarray when the husband was arrested for drug offences. The family sold their previous flat due to mortgage loan arrears. The

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sales proceeds were used to rent a unit and to start a business but that business failed. At that point, she had almost no savings, was about to lose her shelter and have four children to care of.

The COP members stepped in to help her through her issues one by one. First, she was referred to a Family Service Centre (FSC) for counselling sessions to help her cope with her husband's imprisonment. Arrangements were also made with the CDC to provide her with ComCare assistance. Help was also given for her to sign up for courses to acquire employment skills so that she could find work more easily. Mind you she had never worked all her life. To meet her accommodation needs, they helped her search for transitional shelters for her and her children while working with HDB to give her priority for a rental unit. She was eventually offered a rental unit. She now has a job and is very grateful for the help rendered.

Given the success of COP, we will reach out to even more divisions in 2013 and consolidate the excellent work done by existing divisions. This will benefit even more families and especially their children.

We are also mindful that some offenders have little or no family support. Hence, we have a separate programme for them. The Community Befriending Project (CBP) pairs a volunteer-befriender with an offender to provide positive peer support and role modelling. The CBP has grown from 40 volunteer befrienders in 2010 to about 90 befrienders in 2012, and benefitted about 180 offenders. This, too, will be expanded in 2013.

Currently, we have a strong core of volunteers with the passion to serve. More than 1,300 dedicated volunteers served in our prisons in 2012. In 2013, we will develop a training and development framework to systematically equip volunteers and community partners with core competencies, knowledge, and skills to better support the rehabilitation of offenders. These include skills in counselling and casework.

Mr Christopher de Souza talked about giving second chances to ex-offenders and asked what the Ministry is doing to match ex-offenders with jobs after their release.

Over the years, the Yellow Ribbon Project has helped to increase acceptance of ex-offenders in the community. We agree with Mr Christopher de Souza that gainfully employed ex-offenders are less likely to re-offend. SCORE prepares offenders for employment by helping them acquire market relevant

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skills, such as culinary skills and experience in logistics operations, before their release. Offenders receive nationally-accredited training which is aligned with WDA's Workforce Skills Qualification framework. This gives employers the assurance that offenders are qualified and well-trained.

Working closely with the private sector, SCORE also provides practical experience for offenders in its various workshops within prisons, which includes a large laundry and bakery. SCORE also conducts job suitability assessments for offenders to match them with suitable jobs. In 2012, SCORE helped more than 1,420 offenders secure employment before their release. SCORE will also continue to engage offenders and employers to better understand their job needs.

In response to Mr de Souza too, we recognise the support and contributions of employers. SCORE organises an annual Appreciation Award Ceremony and gives out the HOPE awards to employers that have gone the extra mile. One of these awardees is Revenue Valley Pte Ltd, which manages home-grown restaurants like Manhattan Fish Market. Over the years, Revenue Valley Pte Ltd has hired more than 150 ex-offenders and offers fair remuneration and career advancement for deserving ex-offenders. Ex-offenders who performed well have been promoted to leadership positions, with some assuming responsibility in managing their outlets. They have also implemented a buddy system to help newly hired ex-offenders to adjust to their working environment and culture, thereby easing the offenders' transition to working life.

We are indeed very grateful for all the volunteers who have stepped forward to help offenders and their families. Mr Eddie Ong, a COP volunteer from Teck Ghee Division, told me that it was a "humbling experience to witness the state of needy households and how they coped with the sudden incarceration of a loved one." He recalled the example of a 73-year-old mother whose daughter was incarcerated. The mother was beset by health and financial problems. Volunteers arranged for her to use tele-visit facilities to speak to her daughter and overcome her travelling difficulties. I would like to thank all our dedicated volunteers for their invaluable contributions.

Let me end with where I have begun. The drug challenge remains serious. We will continue with the approach of robust laws, effective enforcement and community partnerships to address this issue. In particular, I would like to thank all our community partners who have contributed their time and energy. I hope that more will step forward and join us in this endeavour. Let us continue to

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work together to keep Singapore safe and secure.