PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Interior’s General Department of Prisons announced it will start randomly drug testing prison officials across the country along with those detained on suspicion of drug use.

The department issued a statement on September 27, emphasizing that officers who refuse to submit to a urinary drug test or a drug search will face administrative and legal penalties. According to the statement, the new policy was introduced by Minister of Interior Sar Sokha during a September 4 meeting with other ministry leaders.

The department says it is being enforced to ensure the effective performance of prison officials in correctional education centers and provincial capitals while improving trust with the public.

The announcement comes barely a week after a police officer died after falling from a tall building in Phnom Penh while fleeing from a suspected drug search.