MAPUSA
"Fighting the menace of drugs, prostitution or even terrorism single-handedly is next to impossible for any agency, because it is a widespread kind of a network. Community definitely has to come together and play its role and give cooperation to police," SP Choudhary said.
"There has to be joining of hands. There has to be intelligence sharing which should come from the community, from the people to the police," she added.
SP Choudhary was interacting with hotel and guesthouse owners and locals of Anjuna as part of an awareness programme on drugs in the coastal belt.
She said all hotel and guesthouse owners should check the antecedents of the people they employ and ensure that they submit a valid identity card and urged owners and managers of establishments to report to local police if they find anything suspicious.
Citing an example of a raid conducted in Curlies around a month back, SP Choudhary said the owner was placed under arrest because his waiter was found in possession of drugs.
"If a waiter or if any worker of a particular establishment is found with drugs, the onus or criminal liability is not only on that particular person, but it also falls on the owner or the management of that particular enterprise," Choudhary said. "We must understand everyone should have zero tolerance towards drugs," she added.
"People have this impression that drugs are freely available here. We should make tourism in Goa a healthy tourism. This kind of projection is a negative projection that anybody can come and do whatever..." she said.
Touching on the rise in terrorism activities in the world, SP Choudhary said that people in the State should remain alert, as Goa was internationally renowned. She said the society, government and various agencies have been vigilant so far but more needed to be done. "We need to enhance our capability. We also need to enhance our own intelligence mechanism."
