MIRI: Miri has seen an increase in drug-related arrests, with a total of 790 people detained for various drug-related offences in the past eight months since January this year.
This represents an increase of 261 compared to the same period in the previous year.
Miri OCPD ACP Alexson Naga Chabu shared this information during a press briefing after presenting certificates of appreciation to police personnel of various ranks and administrative staff during the Miri IPD monthly assembly.
On the positive side, Miri’s crime index showed a decrease, with a drop from 198 cases in 2022 to 161 cases (a 19 per cent decrease of 37 cases) this year for the eight-month period from January to August.
During the assembly, 30 police personnel, including auxiliary police, were also promoted to various ranks.
In a separate development, the police are seeking the next-of-kin of an unidentified body found floating in the Kuala Baram River on Sunday (Sept 3) to come forward to the nearest police station for identification purposes. The deceased had no identification on him, and no wallet was found nearby.
According to ACP Alexson, initial checks by the police found no signs of foul play in the case, which is categorised as a sudden death.
“We believe the deceased is a local man based on the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) injection found on his person.
“A post-mortem has been conducted, but identification has proven challenging due to the deteriorated condition of the deceased’s skin,” he explained.
