Phnom Penh Municipal Police chief Sar Thet said on Monday that he has not set the date to introduce drug testing for officers under his command, but that it will happen “as soon as the force has enough kits for the test”.

Thet took to Facebook on Monday, urging all police officers to stay clean and away from narcotics. He also stressed that the planned urine testing would be introduced to officers not only at the municipal level but also in lower positions.

The test, he said, will be implemented as a testament that the police represent the public as law enforcement and are role models for the people.

Speaking to The Post, Thet said no such test had been done in the past, reiterating that it would “definitely happen in the near future”.

“I have lots of work – therefore, I have not set the schedule. We’ve said it before, so we will [definitely] do it,” he said.

Thet also made a similar statement on March 25, regarding the implementation of drug testing for his subordinates. The move, he said at the time, would be a bid to stamp out police involvement in drug crimes.

Similarly, he told The Post that no date had been set for the test, but it would be introduced “within an acceptable timeframe”.

Thet had 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.

His statement came after Interior Minister Sar Kheng a week earlier had 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 had 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 businessman Kith Theang. The resulting investigation found police implicated in the drugs ring, with an arrest warrant issued for one officer.

Affiliated Network for Social Accountability executive director San Chey told The Post on Monday that the implementation of the drug test would allow the police to become role models for the people.

Meanwhile in Banteay Meanchey, provincial Military Police commander Born Bin said his force has already been implementing such a test for over 10 years.

“The officers found to have used drugs have been and will be immediately fired from their position without a second chance,” he said.

The Post’s attempt to reach national Military Police spokesman Eng Hy was, however, unsuccessful.