Skopje, 7 August 2024 (MIA) — The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has made a donation of portable drug test kits for law enforcement officers from the Skopje Police Department, the Ministry of Interior said in a press release.

Public Security Bureau director Aleksandar Janev attended the handover of the donation on Wednesday at the illicit drug trafficking unit of the Skopje Police Department.

The donation of multiple-use field tests for narcotics should allow officers to rapidly screen and identify most suspected illegal drugs.

The drug detection units will be put into use after Parliament adopts amendments to the Law on Misdemeanors Against the Public Order Article 20 on the use of narcotics in cases that cannot be analysed by the MoI's Forensic Department considering that, in line with changes to Article 215 of the Criminal Code, they do not constitute crime, according the MoI release.

"In practice, these drug test kits will make it possible to detect if a person has a small amount of drugs and charge them with an offense under Article 20 of the Law on Misdemeanors Against the Public Order," the MoI's release says.

During the meeting, also attended by the Skopje Police Department leadership, Janev thanked the UNODC representatives on the valuable donation and stressed the need of deepening collaboration, especially regarding education and technical assistance in the fight against drug trafficking so it could be better prevented and disrupted. mr/