Citing an uptick in drug cases and a lack of manpower in some provinces, the National Police yesterday announced they will be transferring scores of officers to positions in anti-drug units.

National Police Chief Neth Savoeun, in a meeting with anti-drug police yesterday morning, said that officers working as judicial and security police would be transferred to drug details to bolster forces capable of executing drug raids.

“For the transfer, the National Police will promote their rank and offer them an appreciation letter,” he said, a measure intended to ensure a commitment to fighting drugs.

“In drug crackdowns, superiors do not want to see their inferiors involved or colluding with the offenders,” he added.

Though police did not give a specific number of officers, Mok Chito, deputy chief of National Police in charge of drug crimes, said each province needs at least 12 anti-drug officers, with several provinces falling below that mark, and about seven provinces currently employing only a handful of anti-drug officers.

By 2016, he said, police will “need at least 20 anti-drug officials per province, since drugs are a hot issue”.