Deonar police held two awareness programs back to back against the use of drugs on Tuesday and Wednesday with around 750 youth participating in the program. According to the Deonar police, the main motive behind this initiative is to eradicate the menace of drugs from their area (which is mostly a slum pocket) and in most crime cases registered at their station, the accused are usually drug addicts and these crimes can be avoided with such awareness campaigns.
Deonar police held two awareness programs back to back against the use of drugs on Tuesday and Wednesday with around 750 youth participating in the program. | File
Senior police inspector Rajesh Kevale, Deonar police station, said, “The population is basically of the lower middle class, a bit of middle class but the maximum population is of slum dwellers, so the accused in most of the cases registered at our police station are drug addicts. Therefore our basic aim behind conducting such awareness programs is to eradicate the drug menace and reform the people who are addicted to substance abuse.”
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The senior cop further mentioned that such programs have been ongoing in schools, colleges and other community centers. On Tuesday, the program was held in Narayan Guru college, Deonar, for students from 10 class till graduation and there was a participation of around 250 students who attended it. “In addition, on Wednesday we conducted similar awareness program with a larger response of around 500 students at KCA college and St. Francis International school. We also conducted a route march with banners and slogans advocating about the harmful effects of drugs.”
The drug awareness campaign is an initiative of Mumbai police under the guidance of other subordinate officers where they target slum pockets of the city to make sure substance abuse is under control. “During these sessions, we are informing the youth about the drawbacks of consuming drugs, how to control it, and how it affects their families and society. We are also looking for any institutions or NGOs who would like to collaborate with the Mumbai police for this crucial venture,” added the officer.
Highlighting his experience of drug addiction and its recovery journey, Rahul Kumar (name changed for anonymity), said, “People often misunderstand that once someone is addicted to drugs, they do not want to come out of it, but in most cases even if the persons wants to recover and live a better life, his circumstances and the lack of support from close family members leads them back to it again and again. Such initiatives by the police will help the youth get back on track.”
“People should avoid getting into drugs and in case they have indulged in it, they should be helped to come out of it, the way my elder brother helped me. They should also understand how their addiction affects the people around them which often leads to them committing crimes which they wouldn’t have done if they were sober,” he added.
