Self-help groups to supplement enforcement, check demand for drugs

The goal of the new move is to achieve the 3 Rs — reach, reprimand and report, said a Delhi Police officer

The Delhi Police are focussing on building self-help groups to supplement enforcement and check demand for drugs in the city, they said on Monday, the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

Community outreach

“We are going to build self-help groups at all levels with help from authorities. We will train others who will dissuade their friends. It so happens that in any group of friends, each have different circumstances and some may be more prone to taking up these habits. A peer group around will mean more eyes to keep vigil,” said a senior police officer, adding that community outreach is one of the ways to curb the menace of drugs effectively in the city.

The officer said the police have been visiting schools and other vulnerable areas to create self-help groups for the past eight months.

Rise in cases

In some of these schools, he said, they had found students vulnerable to or using illegal substances.

“The goal is to achieve the three Rs — reach, reprimand and report,” said the officer.

This year, the city has seen a rise in the number of cases under the Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. Statistics shared by the Delhi Police show that between January 1 and May 15 last year, 102 cases were registered. That number has gone up to 130 for the same period in the current year. This roughly translates to almost one case per day. The number of arrests has also spiked from 122 last year to 151 this year.

Major transit point

Among drugs, heroin seizure has seen a nearly two-fold rise. Besides this, Delhi is a major transit point for both drug trafficking and consumers. On consumption patterns, said the officer, cannabis is the most popular traditional illegal drug among low-income groups. The demand for cannabis is followed opium and cocaine.