Phnom Penh Municipal Police chief Sar Thet has revealed plans to introduce drug testing for officers under his command, with those failing to be kicked off the force. The move is a bid to stamp out police involvement in drug crimes.

He told The Post on Monday that no date had been set for the implementation of the urine test, but it would be introduced within an acceptable timeframe.

Thet said he did not believe many of his officers were using drugs because they needed to pass drug tests before they could join the police force.

“However, after graduating, a small number of individuals [might start using drugs]. So we must educate [them] in advance against this. It does not mean that we suspect our officers are involved in it. We only want to intervene to prevent any of them [from using drugs],” he said.

He said any officer failing a drug test would be thrown out of the Phnom Penh Municipal Police.

Thet’s statement came after Interior Minister Sar Kheng last week ordered all police officers to carry out their responsibilities professionally and without corruption. They must not become involved in trafficking, distributing or selling drugs, he said.

Sar Kheng’s warning came after Phnom Penh police found nearly 50kg of drugs during a raid at the Rock Entertainment Centre owned by prominent businessman Kith Theang. The resulting investigation found police implicated in the drugs ring, with an arrest warrant issued for one officer.

National Police spokesman Chhay Kim Khoeun told The Post that police had so far been unable to arrest the officer. “We are still searching for him,” he said.

San Chey, the executive director of the NGO Affiliated Network for Social Accountability, told The Post on Monday that he welcomed drug testing for police officers. He said he wanted to see such tests brought in for National Police at all levels.

“There are some police officers whose duties are to crack down on drugs and crimes that stem from their use. We want to see all those in the security forces be role models by [passing drug tests],” he said.

Regarding this, Thet said he was not aware whether the National Police planned to introduce drug tests for all police forces across the country.