In order to make Punjab a drug-free state by Independence Day next year, Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Tuesday ordered all field officers to launch a massive crackdown drive to break the supply chain of drugs. He emphasised a three-pronged strategy—Police enforcement, de-addiction, and rehabilitation—to eradicate the drug menace from the state.
The DGP was chairing a state-level review meeting via video conference with all the eight Range IGs/DIGs, 28 CPs/SSPs, 117 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs), and 410+ Station House Officers (SHOs) in the state to chalk out a cutting-edge strategy against drug peddling. The DGP was accompanied by Special DGP STF Kuldeep Singh, Special DGP Intelligence-cum-Chief Director Vigilance Bureau Punjab Varinder Kumar and Special DGP Law and Order Arpit Shukla.
The development comes a day after the DGP Yadav chaired a high-level meeting on Drug Trafficking at Punjab Police Academy in Phillaur. Yadav said that the Punjab Police has been working on a multi-pronged strategy against drug trafficking to disrupt supply chain, reach out to the public in a massive way by holding meetings, rallies, and seminars and work with other departments to reduce demand and provide treatment to victims.
Acknowledging the fact that a lot of good work has been done against Drugs by the Punjab Police in August—almost 200 kg of heroin has been seized—he stressed the need to further intensify action against smugglers. He also ordered all the field officers to thoroughly investigate all linkages of FIRs registered under the NDPS act and effectively forfeit the properties of big dealers. He also asked all the units to identify drug hotspots in their jurisdictions and formulate strategies to keep them drug-free.
Stressing the need to involve the public, the DGP asked all SHOs to interact with citizens and encourage them to share any information with the Police.
