SINGAPORE - Malay drug abusers make up a disproportionate number of those addicted to narcotics, but targetted efforts are underway to address this.

Parliamentary Secretary for Home Affairs Amrin Amin said this in Parliament on Wednesday, even as he acknowledged that this was an issue of "concern.

He was responding to a question by Nominated MP Azmoon Ahmad, who had asked whether there was an increase in the number of Malay drug abusers and the efforts being taken to curb the problem.

Citing statistics from the Central Narcotics Bureau, Mr Amrin said there were 1,738 Malay drug abusers arrested last year, up from 1,376 in 2010.

In comparison, the total number of drug abusers rose from 2,887 to 3,343 to from 2010 to 2015.

"Drug abuse is a complex issue with multifaceted challenges. It affects all communities not just the Malay community but also Indian and Chinese communities and we need to work on multiple fronts with multiple partners in the fight against drugs to strengthen prevention, enforcement and rehabilitation," said Mr Amrin.

He outlined education, enforcement and support efforts for drug abusers, pointing out that there were targetted efforts to engage the Malay community on this front.