Mangaluru police to pool in resources to tackle drugs issue

MANGALURU: Mangaluru city police’s drive against drugs will be a concerted year-round effort that will focus on breaking the supply chain involving suppliers, peddlers and users, city police chief Vikash Kumar Vikash said.
The 15 law and order police stations under the city police commissionerate limits will act in tandem with Cybercrime, Economic Offenses and Narcotics (CEN) police stations to go to the roots of the issue, Vikash said.
Mooting this resolve at Drugs Muktha Mangaluru, phone-in programme organised by Vijaya Karnataka on Wednesday, Vikash said the law and order and CEN PS will pool in their resources to tackle the issue. The police inspectors and beat staff of law and order PS will be in touch with their counterparts at CEN PS which in turn will carry out investigations, run its own informant network and also take inputs from the stakeholders, he noted.
Agreeing to concerns flagged by Shashidhar Shetty, social activist on inability of regular law and order police stations to fully focus on the drugs issue given their preoccupation with other routine duties, Vikash said this is where CEN PS comes into focus. To this end, steps have been taken to augment personnel strength in these specialised PS, he said, adding they are also getting trained in the latest aspects of drugs and cybercrime enforcement.
The multi-pronged approach will more so focus on suppliers and peddlers and recent rowdy parades for people with past track record in this organised crime only speaks of resolve of the city police to tackle this issue, he said. “We have kept watch on every aspect of drug trade and police action will be swift at the slightest hint of transgression,” the city police chief said, hinting at a crackdown on food app delivery personnel peddling drugs.
Accepting the seeming reluctance on part of callers to give details of people involved in drugs trade in their backyard fearing retribution, Vikash advised them to call the city control room on 100. “Call to 100 is recorded and acted upon and the identity of callers kept confidential,” he said. People may also pass on information directly to him, Vikash said, assuring the callers that he will personally oversee action on tips given during the phone-in.