100 female officers join anti-drug raids

At least 100 female officers have joined the Anti-Narcotics Department and participated in raids on drug suspects, Amal Khashegji, head of the Women Affairs Department, disclosed.
“The step aims to involve female officers in operations in which female suspects are found complicit in drug-related crime,” she said.
The official pointed out that the female officers were first given training on raid operations and drug inspections as also how to handle situations during emergency. 
“Female officers are not exposed to danger, as their work is confined to searching female suspects,” she explained, adding that members from the police forces secure the site prior to the entrance of female officers.
Khasheqji expects the number of female officers to rise in the near future because their services are increasingly needed in field operations.
She was speaking at a press conference held by the Women Affairs Department ahead of a regional symposium on combating drugs and information exchange scheduled to take place today under the patronage the Minister of Interior.
“Around 26 men and women specialized in the field will participate in the symposium to discuss issues related to combating drugs in the Kingdom, preventive measures to be taken to minimize demand for narcotics and to review case studies from international countries,” she added.
“The rate of drug addiction among women and children in the Kingdom is low,” said Nawal Al-Zamil, head of the scientific committee of the symposium, pointing out that social media networking sites have contributed to the rise in the number of drug addicts.
The Anti-Narcotics Department issued a memo urging citizens to report any information related to drug activity, stressing that they will be handled in full confidentiality.