IGP says society's role is crucial for curbing demand side of drugs

HYDERABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 1st May, 2026) The Inspector General of Sindh Police (IGP) Javed Alam Odho has said the menace of drug abuse can be defeated when the police and the society work in tandem in an arrangement in which the former curbs the supply side and the latter the demand side.

Speaking at a press conference at Hyderabad press club on Thursday, the IGP said the police at best could rein in the supply of narcotics, mainpuri and gutka, but the media and the society would have to take responsibility for sensitizing the people against substance abuse.

According to him, it would be tantamount to living in a fool's paradise to expect that the police alone could eradicate that menace in an accelerated way.

He, however, claimed that the police were not only carrying out a crackdown against the elements involved in the trade of supply narcotics, mainpuri, and gutka, but they were also taking disciplinary action against cops for their poor performance.

The IGP said a crackdown was also underway against criminals as 35 suspected notorious criminals had been killed and 115 arrested in an injured condition in the last 4 months in the province.

He emphasized the importance of electronic surveillance and other modern-day policing tools to replace the age-old forms of policing.

Odho said once such advanced surveillance was adequately introduced, the cops would be able to trace and identify criminals while sitting in a monitoring room. "This surveillance makes police invisible," he noted.

According to him, a 30 percent to 35 percent crime reduction had been seen in the areas of Karachi where cameras had been installed under the safe city project.

The IGP earlier inaugurated Community Policing's Command and Control Center at the SSP office in Hyderabad.