Thursday 25 / April / 2024
Muscat: Schoolchildren as young as 15 have started taking drugs in Oman, according to a top official of the Royal Oman Police.
Colonel Abdulrahim Al Farsi, director general of the Narcotics Control at ROP said, “The problem of drugs and psychotropic substances affects the entire world and it is one of the greatest threats for young people and adolescents due to the mushrooming of social networking sites and cultural friction. It is imperative for everyone to co-operate and to find ways to prevent society from the dangers of drugs.”
Studies have proved that 15 is the age frontier at which most young people are exposed to drugs, the colonel said.
“This is due to curiosity or love for fun among adolescents. And for its prevention, the family, community and the school environment should play a bigger role,” he elaborated.
Bad company is the reason that motivates students to get entrapped into the scourge of drugs, pointed out Al Farsi.
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Parents have to keep track of the friends of their children and follow them continuously, so they do not fall prey to drugs, he said, adding there should be an open dialogue with children about the harmful effects of drugs on their health and career.
Al Farsi also said that there are several indicators through which one can know if there are addicts inside the home and school that include low academic performance, lack of attention in class, bunking classes and living in isolation.
Regarding the awareness of supervisors and specialists, Brigadier Abdulrahim said that the Royal Oman Police — represented by the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances — in cooperation with the National Commission for Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, has found ways to spread the awareness message among students, especially school students.
“We are keeping pace with the development in the field of technology and modern means of communication for spreading awareness,” he added.
“This is the responsibility of everyone and we must be united to take care of our children from this scourge and instil good values in them and prevent them from falling into the clutches of drugs,” he advised.
“I invite everyone to contact, whether to inquire or ask for help on the phone 9999/1444 or through the police website: www.rop.gov.om,” he concluded.
Close to 2,327 drug-related crimes were reported in 2018, according to the Public Prosecution. The number of offenders arrested in 2017 stood at 3,297, down from 3,590 in 2016, a ROP official said.
Also, the number of drugs cases stood at 2,231 in 2017, compared to 2,538 in 2016. Moreover, the amount of drugs confiscated by ROP stood at 2.2 tonnes in 2017, compared to almost 2.5 tonnes in 2016.
