Police will help schools prevent drug abuse, says Hong Kong researcher

Schools should not be worried about contacting police if they find their students using drugs because the force will not immediately book them, a drug abuse researcher says.

"Reporting to the police shouldn't be mandatory, but schools should see police support as a resource," said Sandra Tsang Kit-man, head of the department of social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong.

"They should already have a connection to the police."

Last week the Sunday Morning Post reported that police were investigating Hong Kong International School after it expelled 11 pupils and disciplined others for drug use, without informing the police of its actions.

The police now say they are co-operating with the school on the matter, but declined to go into detail.

"I'm surprised they expelled the students," said Eric Chui Wing-hong, associate professor in the department of social work and social administration. "That's usually a last resort."

Chui said schools should give pupils more chances before they were expelled. "The purpose of a school is to help them to become law-abiding citizens," he said.