Forensic experts' drug raid role get support

JAKARTA (JP): Forensic experts who assisted police in recent drug raids at popular night spots were not acting against the doctors' code of conduct, according to noted expert Mun'im Idris.

Mun'im said the presence of forensic personnel was to prevent police officers from arresting the wrong suspects.

But their participation has come under fire from fellow doctors, Mun'im, from the state-run Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital, told The Jakarta Post Friday.

Some doctors believe that members of their profession should not be involved in the raids or disclose information from the medical examination of an alleged drug abuser to the police, he said.

"What should be underlined here is that the principle of forensic medicine is somewhat different from other medical fields," Mun'im said.

"Forensic experts are not required to keep information on their subjects from the police or any other parties."

They can tell people what they have or have not found in the course of their examination of a patient, he said.

"They can even disclose the information to the press as long as it will not adversely affect the police investigation and the suspect."

Mun'im guaranteed that the process of examination and taking of urine samples from alleged drug users followed the same methodology used in daily forensics.

"The result of the urine testing is accurate," he said. "The urine test kit has a 90 percent accuracy."

A separate kit was used to examine each urine sample and pinpoint whether the suspect had taken amphetamines, cocaine, opium or marijuana, he said.

The police had earlier faced difficulties when arresting drug users because the law forbid them from arresting anyone unless there was strong evidence.

Now police only need urine samples to nail alleged drug users, following the introduction of the 1997 Psychotropic Law Number 5, Mun'im said.

"During the raids, urine samples are obtained only from those who have certain symptoms or physical reactions which normally occur after taking certain kinds of drugs."

The symptoms vary from one drugs to another, according to Mun'im who participated in the police raids with a team of his colleagues.

Tell-tale signs of a narcotic user include small pupils and a slower pulse and breathing rate, he said.

Psychotropic drug users commonly display the opposite symptoms, including dilated irises, increased pulse rate and a cold sweat, he said.

The participation of forensic experts had yielded positive results for the police in their fight against drugs, he said.

In the latest raids Friday, the forensic team helped police catch three alleged drug dealers and 46 alleged drug users. (cst)