KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 — The drug epidemic is reaching critical levels in Malaysia, Datuk Seri Abdul Hamid Bador said when disclosing that policemen were arrested "every week” for consuming narcotics.

The inspector-general of police asserted that Malaysia could become a major narcotic source unless serious effort is taken to combat the menace, expressing concern over the number of drug production facilities discovered with regularity.

"Drug abuse in the country is at a breaking point and if we do not check it now, it will be at the level of what we can find in Colombia; that is how bad it is.

"We can see addicts not only among civilians but also my own men. Every week, we arrest our own men who are high on meth and syabu,” he said to the press after launching the Roadshow Autism: Royal Malaysia Police Guidelines event here today.

The IGP said the police have arrested around 30 personnel for drug abuse so far this year.

Calling for a more holistic approach to drug law enforcement, Hamid said he is in talks with the government for an effective solution.

He said it was no longer sustainable to keep up the war on drugs with his force’s present resources, saying the police’s repeated raids on drug dens and laboratories must be supplemented with other measures.

Police have reported increasingly larger drug seizures over the year but illicit narcotics continue to be available in the country.

"We are very serious, we cannot go on with operation after operation, my men are so tired,” he said.