Sabtu witnesses the handing over of duties between Moses (left) and Lukas.
KUCHING: The state Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) yesterday welcomed its new chief, with local boy Supt Lukas Akit taking over the reins from the retiring Supt Moses Agat.
The 49-year-old Lukas was previously attached to the state NCID in Penang and had served as deputy prosecuting officer and prosecuting officer here and in Tawau respectively.
Moses, 59, decided to call time on his 38-year career due to poor health, which saw him hospitalised for lengthy periods at times over the past two years.
In his outgoing speech, Moses said he made a decision to “open a new chapter in life” last year during his last stay in the hospital.
“As you all know, I have not been too well over the past two years, resulting in me delegating a number of duties to my men.
“I decided last year to leave the force as I did not want my health issues to affect my job and cause me to fail my bosses,” he said, adding he would leave it to his colleagues and the public to judge his performance during his almost eight-year stint as state NCID chief.
Sarawak police commissioner Datuk Wira Muhammad Sabtu Osman, who witnessed the handing-over-of-duties between Moses and Lukas, called on the latter to continue the good work of his predecessor to ensure the drug menace does not spread in the state.
“The state recorded an increase in the number of drug-related cases last year. Even though the problem is still not serious, we must increase our effort to make sure the statistics are brought down.
“This is the target I want NCID personnel to meet in the next six months, particularly involving cases classified under the Special Preventive Measures,” stressed Sabtu.
In the first three months this year, he revealed that the police made a total of 1,876 arrests compared to 1,331 last year involving drug consumption, although he explained that the increase was partly due to some addicts being arrested multiple times over that period for committing the same offence.
Over the same three-month period this year, police also arrested 55 persons for drug dealing activities, which was an increase of six compared to the same period last year.
Of the 55 drug dealers arrested so far this year, he said 10 were detained under Section 39B of the Dangerous Drugs Act, which carries a mandatory death sentence.
Among those present to witness yesterday’s handing-over-of-duties ceremony were state Management Department head Datuk Dr Chai Khin Chung, state CID head Datuk Pahlawan Zulkifli Hassan and state Commercial Crime Investigation Department head Supt Mohd Firdaus Abdullah.