State police chief Neelmani Raju urged her officials to give priority to cases of drug abuse, sale and trafficking in Bengaluru and across Karnataka. 

Addressing a seminar for police officials on International Day Against Drug Abuse And Illicit Trafficking on Monday, the DG&IGP said discovery and probe of drugs have taken a back seat as the police force became preoccupied with crime prevention and maintaining law and order. 

Urging the police to break the chain of demand and supply, Neelmani asked them to go after those who traffic and sell drugs rather than targeting drug users. She asked them to watch schools and colleges, especially private institutions where police have information on the existence of drug cartels. 

Neelmani also spoke on the importance of collecting samples, evidence, getting technical help in the probe and forensic science reports going to the court. Even the slightest of mistakes would result in the dismissal of the case, she added. 

“Be it party drugs, low-calibre or high-end drugs, our men need to gather information, intelligence about its circulation, source etc, and bust the entire racket which could be either mass suppliers or small-scale suppliers,” Neelmani said. 

She said the need for more de-addiction centres can be addressed at the government level. “Police can also help in re-assimilation of rehabilitated individuals,” she added. 

Speaking on the occasion, former DG&IGP Ajay Kumar Singh said the state police need to develop their informants’ base for curbing the drug menace. The former IPS officer also asked the police to take up courses on interrogation tactics to get information from the subjects easily and effectively. 

The workshop, led by ADGP (Crime) M A Saleem and IGP (Central Range, Bengaluru) P Harishekaran, focused on emerging trends and challenges of drug trafficking in India and abroad.