THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In an initiative against drug abuse, the Student Police Cadets (SPC) in Vakkom have launched state’s first group of 250 trained anti-drug ambassadors. The ambassadors, comprising students and parents, completed a day-long intensive training programme under the leadership of South Kerala Joint Excise Commissioner Radhakrishnan.
The selection of ambassadors includes 250 volunteers drawn from trained SPC students and their parents. Each of them have pledged to become a watchdog and a change agent in their community, especially during the vacation season, when the risk of drug abuse among youth tends to spike.
The initiative, spearheaded by Vakkom SPC, marks a first-of-its-kind in the state. The newly inducted ambassadors will actively operate across all wards of Vakkom. Their role is to alert the excise and police departments on witnessing any drug use or trafficking in their localities, and lead awareness campaigns to root out substance abuse.
The inauguration of the training session was held under the leadership of SPC PTA president Shyla, with district panchayat member R Subhash inaugurating the programme. Other attendees included Kadakkavoor CI Sajin Louis, PTA president Ashokan, VHSE Principal Jayakumar, SPG chairman Jain, programme coordinator and CPO Saudheesh Thampi, and ACPO Ramya Chandran, among others.
During the passing-out ceremony, student cadets who completed the training were presented with tokens of appreciation.