Forensic experts' drug raid role get support

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)