KOCHI: The Qatar World Cup has had football fans buzzing with anticipation. From youngsters to the elderly, the emotion generated by the beautiful game has gripped the state and this has translated into giant hoardings of key players such as Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, and others.
In a unique initiative, officers of Kalamassery police station decided to cash in on the football fever that has gripped the world. They erected giant cut-outs of players in front of the station. But they decided to push the envelope by using the opportunity to spread an anti-drug campaign among the youth.
Along with the flex board of players, they shared messages which read ‘Football is the addiction’ and ‘Say no to drugs’. The 12ft-high cut-outs have captured the attention of both residents and passersby. “We are all celebrating the World Cup. But when we thought of erecting cut-outs of favourite players, we decided to give it a new face. As we’ve all been working to combat the drug menace, we decided this would be the right opportunity for an anti-drug campaign. We are happy that people have started noticing them, even as they compete for eyeballs with other large cut-outs along the street,” SHO P R Santhosh said.
This may be the first police station in the state to run such a campaign. “To our knowledge no other police station is celebrating the World Cup like us. Through the posters, we wanted to share with youngsters the message that drugs should not be an addiction. We are happy that many have accepted the message,” the officer added.
The station is also planning a football shootout contest as part of its campaign. “We are looking to include about five youngsters from each ward of Kalamassery municipality,” he said.