The drug abuse instances have been on the rise in Navi Mumbai. Taking cognizance of the scenario, the Navi Mumbai crime branch cops joined hands with Narcotic cell and conducted an anti drug awareness campaign involving school students.
The Navi Mumbai Narcotics cell cops in association with crime branch police launched an Anti drug awareness campaign for school students at APMC police station in Vashi. The students of Modern school, Swami Vivekananda School, Samant Vidyalaya and Modern India Mission participated in the awareness campaign. The initiative comes in the wake of the increasing use of dangerous drugs like Mephedrone (Meow Meow) by youngsters in the city. According to officials, the schools were selected based on their locations and their vulnerability to activities like drug peddling and consumption (in their premises).
The objective of the campaign is to make the youth aware of the dangers of involving themselves in drug abuse and the adverse impact of drug intake. The campaign was supported by Shankar Mahadevan, bollywood singer; Hemant Nagrale, commissioner of police, Navi Mumbai and senior police officials of Navi Mumbai.
Cops’ Comment
“The drive is a full-scale initiative to end drug menace among youth. We have started sensitizing school students. Vigilance has also been strengthened in the premises. De-addiction programmes for youth in association with health officials who are borderline addicts was also a part of this campaign. The campaign included counseling and awareness drives for students and parents. That apart, students were sent to slum pockets, where drug peddling is common, to create awareness, said Maya More, police inspector, Crime Branch.
The students were informed about the dedicated police ‘Helpline Line’ number, to inform or notify about any drug abuse incident. They were also advised to trust their teachers & parents and inform them about it.
Briefing to press, Hemant Nagrale, commissioner of police- Navi Mumbai, said “As part of the drive, an ongoing process that has been intensified now, we have a shadow crime squad in operation and also we are analyzing the pattern of the racket, along with the suppliers and clients. It is a fact that drug peddling is a major issue and we have narrowed down on hundred- odd drug peddlers in the city as part of our effort to track the route through which it comes and also to identify the sources from where they get it. Since, the general feeling is that the drug abuse is on the rise among the children, and also the rackets are targeting them, the police launched a drive among the students to sensitize them, for which the service of the student police cadet was be utilized.”
“The students have become easy prey to the drug mafias in the city and have also become a potential target both as customers and peddlers. With many education institutes in Navi Mumbai in close proximity, it becomes easier for the drug peddlers to smuggle in drugs from Panvel and other areas and distribute it in the city,” Nagrale added.
According to Rajendra Galande, senior police inspector, crime branch, ‘the students were shown a play in the auditorium of APMC on the impact of drugs on the youth. Our senior officials alerted the students about the repercussions of drug consumption on daily family life. The department also plans to extend this project across police stations, which will entail each one adopting a college in its area and ensuring that drug menace is given a decent burial”
Police Alerts Schools
The Navi Mumbai police have received several complaints from the residents about, students smoking cigarettes and, hookah. Many of them were caught mixing drugs in their cigarettes. Based on these leads, the police sent alerts to several schools of Navi Mumbai to ensure that children do not carry narcotic substances. The schools are also organizing workshops and chalking out policies to prevent substance abuse.
Speaking to Mumbai Protector, Dilip Sawant, deputy commissioner of police, (Crime), said “parents mostly wake up to the reality too late and become helpless when they find their children addicted. Many parents even refuse to acknowledge openly that their children are addicted to drugs, just to avoid any social stigma. 
Such attitude of parents aggravates the issue of substance use and children in turn get a tacit approval to indulge further. The drug mafias continue to spread their tentacles far and wide with the blessings of some political masters. Initially, drugs are distributed to the prospective victims freely and peddlers ensure the targets return to them for more”
“Drug abuse is not just a social menace but a brain disease which very often relapses, therefore, making it difficult to abstain. Compulsive desire for drug despite knowing its health hazards should be treated as a mental disease. A combination of factors come into play for a drug addict, such as family environment, peer pressure, physiological and mental factors etc. Drugs augment the dopamine levels in brain. Dopamine is a neuro transmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers” Sawant added.
