SHILLONG: Aiming to arrest the trend of the growing number of crimes in Shillong city in particular and East Khasi Hills District in general, the district administration has decided to involve youths as partners to deal with the menace.
Speaking at an awareness programme on ‘Drug Abuse, Traffic Rules & Cyber Crime’ organized under the Safe Secure Shillong project, East Khasi Hills Deputy Commissioner Sanjay Goyal urged the students to keep away from the menace of alcohol and drugs which has many ill effects.
Goyal said increasing problems relating to alcohol and drug is linked to safety of a society and called upon the students to be aware of the ill effects of alcohol and drugs since it often leads to various forms of crimes which eventually pose threat to the security of the nation.
The deputy commissioner further cautioned the students against the growing trend of cyber crimes which are being reported in the city. Informing that several people have been duped to the tune of lakhs of rupees, Goyal urged students to be cautious while making new friends on social networking sites.
Earlier, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police, M. Kharkrang, lamented that cases of drugs abuse are on the rise in Shillong and advised the students not to be lured into such harmful and illegal activities.
Kharkrang said there has been substantial increase in intake of drugs that has direct connection to the crimes specially related to property viz. theft, robbery, burglary and dacoity.
He pointed out that the total number of cases reported under NPDS Act during 2009-2014 in East Khasi Hills District was 55. 63 people were arrested under the NPDS Act from 2010-2014.
About 600 school students attended the programme which was organised by the East Khasi Hills Police to educate students on how not to fall prey later in life and that they grow up to be assets and not liabilities of society.
In the last two years, such programmes were organised for college students but this year the district police has decided to ‘catch them young’ by imbibing in them the spirit to abide by the law from an early age.
