War on drugs not against public but criminals: DGP Swain

Srinagar: Director General of Jammu and Kashmir police RR Swain on Monday said that the war on drugs is not against the public but those who are involved in this trade and those who try to vitiate the peaceful atmosphere.
Talking to reporters on the side-lines of the public durbar in Kupwara, the police chief said that public cooperation is important to win this war against drugs and against the masterminds who are involved in this trade.
“We have a deep understanding of how important public cooperation is and my officers always convey this to me and if we behave responsibly with the public they will cooperate in every situation,” he said.
He said that they also differentiate between those who are the masterminds of this drug trade and those who are working on the ground as their pawns. “My officers always say that we cannot work without people’s cooperation, while keeping in mind that police is a service. We are thankful to the public for extending their support and this not just a lip-service but straight from my heart as public cooperation is very important,” he said.
The DGP also said that police Special Police Officers (SPOs) are part of the police family and they understand their issues as well. “We always try to provide help to SPOs, their families and children through different welfare schemes of the police and also try to induct them under regular police force, which we also do on various occasions,” he said.
Talking about the public durbar, he said that this is the first time they have moved out of station headquarters to hold the grievance redressal programme at district level. “The aim is to provide relief to the public and help resolve their grievances through such programmes as people face a lot of issues,” he said