Online Reporter
Freeman Razemba
Senior Reporter
POLICE Commissioner-General Stephen Mutamba says drugs that are destroying youths in Chitungwiza are often trafficked across borders, fuelled by international syndicates that prey on the vulnerable, and warned them that the police are on high alert.
He said while their response as police should also address the international dimension, it must be founded on robust local mechanisms, rooted in the communities, and driven by their determination to protect children.
Comm-Gen Mutamba said this at the commemoration of the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking in Chitungwiza last Friday.
Comm Gen Mutamba said their intelligence reports indicated that the drivers of drug and substance abuse among the youths are deeply entrenched within the social and economic fabric, with peer pressure, lack of parental guidance, community habituation of drug use, and limited recreational opportunities.
“In bringing this commemoration to the heart of the community, we are sending a powerful message,” he said.
“We will not wait for the problem to come to our offices. We are reaching out to those disproportionately affected by this scourge; our youth in our townships and our families in our high-density suburbs. This is where the battle against drug and substance abuse is won or lost.
“Drug abuse is not a problem that affects only the user. It is a cancer that destroys families, shatters communities, and undermines the future of our nation,” he said.
“The drugs that destroy our youths in Chitungwiza are often trafficked across borders, fuelled by international syndicates that prey on our vulnerabilities.”
