MPO aims to reduce demand and control supply

KATHMANDU, Aug 10: Records maintained by the Metropolitan Police Office (MPO), Ranipokhari, show an increase of about 50 percent in the cases of drug abuse in the valley in fiscal year 2017/18. A comparative data of three years maintained by the MPO show that the total number of criminal cases registered in the valley increased to 8,385 in fiscal year 2017/18 from 5,926 in the previous year.

The total number of drug abuse cases in the valley reached an all-time high of 445 in 2017/18 from 300 in 2016/17 and 205 in 2015/16. Of the 445 cases registered in the valley in the last fiscal year, about 87 percent (388) were registered in Kathmandu district which is more than the total cases filed in the valley in fiscal year 2016/17.

Chief of MPO, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police, Manoj Neupane said, “The more vigilant the police are, the more number of offenders are held. Hence more cases are registered.”

MPO officials claimed that the office is focusing on reducing the demand of drugs and controlling its supply to tackle the increasing trend of drug abuse. “To reduce the demand, we have to make the people aware against about drug abuse,” DIG Neupane said, adding that the metropolitan police have been conducting awareness programs in schools since the people of young age group tend to be the victims of drug abuse. In addition to that public awareness campaigns have also been launched.

Similarly, the metropolitan police have increased their vigilance targeting the control of the supply of drugs. The MPO has come up with ‘~ITole tole ma ~Ipolice’ program in order to increase their vigilance and control the supply of drugs. MPO officials claimed that the program has already started bearing fruits. In the past few months, metropolitan police have taken action against two cases of drug abuse on daily basis. Two different cases of drug abuse were filed in the valley even on Wednesday. DIG Neupane added that the parents and schools should also start taking the responsibility to make sure that their wards are not into drug abuse. Neupane told Republica, “The drug addicts generally belong to the young age group. The parents, schools and colleges should take care of their children and make sure that they don’t walk the wrong way.”