A month and two weeks after it launched Udayam, an initiative aimed at curbing the drug menace with a focus on schoolchildren, the Kochi City police are chalking out a plan to expand the scope of the project.

After conducting over 100 awareness programmes in various schools in the city since the launch of the programme, the police are looking for ways to reach out to parents, teachers and community members with similar sessions. The larger plan is to facilitate a platform to bring together multiple departments and agencies fighting the drug menace, according to top police officers.

Apart from creating awareness about the ill-effects of drug abuse, the police are also aiming to strengthen the reporting mechanism through the project. Steps to intensify the initiative were discussed at a meeting of top police officers and representatives of various departments and agencies held at the Police District Headquarters Training hall on Wednesday (August 20).

“Multiple departments and agencies are doing a lot of activities to prevent the drug menace. But there is no convergence and synergy between them. A platform is required for bringing about this convergence. Udayam will take the role of coordinating the different players and bringing synergy among them,” District Police Chief (Kochi City) Putta Vimaladitya said on Thursday (August 21).

He said under-reporting remains a challenge to fight the drug menace among children, and the reporting structure has to be strengthened. “People know what is happening where, but very few cases are reported for various reasons. We need a trustworthy mechanism for people to report the cases. Many, including teachers, have pointed out that people may not come forward and report cases unless there is a mechanism where they get support, including ensuring anonymity,” he said.

He said concerns over kids getting branded as drug users were also a major factor stopping people from reporting cases. “We are thinking of how to overcome the problem,” the officer said.

The scope of peer mentoring and online campaign among children was also discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.

More sessions

The police have decided to hold awareness sessions for parents, teachers and community members in the coming days. The sessions will be held through Residents Associations and Parents and Teachers Associations.

“Apart from awareness talks, we have also been conducting a lot of activity-based sessions, including competitions for children. The sessions are being held by a panel of over 50 trained counsellors selected from institutes,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order and Traffic) Aswathy Jiji said.