Engaging with the community is an important step in ensuring that the scourge of drug abuse in Meghalaya can be curbed.
This was the opinion of retired police officer Francis G Kharshiing, who was recently appointed as the Mission Director of the state government’s Drug Reduction, Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM).
“We have to raise awareness and this can be achieved by working with the Shnongs, community, society, NGOs and [drug] users,” Kharshiing said today after paying a courtesy call on Social Welfare Minister Paul Lyngdoh.
He said that they will be hitting the ground running in this direction to interact with people at large. Kharshiing also said that he agreed with the demand to have a separate police unit for tackling the menace of drugs in the state.
“Policemen are being overwhelmed with other jobs and this is a pressing issue in the state with the rising number of users and the flow of drugs into the state. This should be combated and that will only help if we can do that,” he stated.
Cautioning against any expectation of immediate results, Kharshiing informed that he has called a meeting of concerned citizens of the state on November 13 to discuss the problem.
