Sharjah Police launched an anti-drug awareness platform at City Centre Al Zahia, concurrently with the World Drug Day, as part of their ongoing efforts to enhance community awareness of the dangers of drugs and establish a culture of prevention among all segments of society through awareness programmes and interactive activities targeting families, youth and visitors.The platform offers diverse educational content highlighting the dangers of drugs, methods of prevention and mechanisms for detecting signs of drug abuse. It also introduces the services provided by the competent authorities, primarily counseling services and free communication and reporting channels, thereby contributing to strengthening community partnership to protect individuals and families.Reducing black pointsAdditionally, Sharjah Police launched an initiative, through which individuals could reduce their black points when visiting the platform and viewing all its awareness messages and interactive activities aimed at highlighting the dangers of the scourge of drugs as well as its negative effects on the individual and society and the important role played by the community to reduce its spread.Brigadier Majid Al-Asam, Director of Anti-narcotic Prevention and Control Department at Sharjah Police, revealed that people who had black points could clear them after visiting the platform and attending the awareness explanation provided by specialists about the dangers of drugs, ways to prevent them and the importance of protecting children and families from falling into the clutches of this scourge.The initiative aims to encourage members of society to interact with awareness programmes and benefit from the information and guidance provided by the platform, he said.He underscored that community education coupled with providing incentives represented a practical model for establishing the concept of prevention and enhancing community awareness, this being the first line of defence against drugs, for supporting Sharjah Police’s efforts to build a safer and more stable society.Awareness messagesMajor General Omar Ahmed Balzoud, Director General of the General Department of Criminal Security and Ports, stated that organizing the platform for the third successive year reflected Sharjah Police’s keenness to directly reach members of society in key places and spread awareness messages among them to help families recognize the early indicators of drug abuse and how to deal with them.The platform presents its programmes and awareness messages over four days in three languages: Arabic, English and Urdu, ensuring that they reach all segments of society, he added.Through this year’s platform, individuals can contact security authorities on the free numbers dedicated to combating drugs to obtain advice or report any suspected case, he said, calling on families to deal seriously with this phenomenon due to the negative effects that drug abuse might have on the future of the individual and the stability of the entire family.Standing by the families and providing them with all forms of support and co-operation, Sharjah Police urged members of the society to report any information or suspicious cases in a way that would strengthen national efforts to limit the spread of this scourge.Interactive game teaches children to make the right decisionThe platform also features an interactive section dedicated to children aimed at raising their awareness of the dangers of drugs through an educational electronic game designed to suit their interests and abilities, said Lieutenant Colonel Salem Al Mazrouei, Deputy Director of Prevention and Follow-up Department.The game targets the age group of 14 years and under in a step aimed at establishing the concepts of prevention and sound decision-making from an early age, he added.As part of the game, a child is engaged in hypothetical situations that require him to make different decisions, so that he can see for himself the results of the wrong and right decisions he takes until he finally reaches the correct choice and receives a ‘hero certificate’ in his name, he said.The game currently focuses on online drug promotion and explains to children how to deal with suspicious messages they may receive through social media and the consequences of each decision they make, he added, stressing that the goal is to instill in them the awareness that the right decision protects them and their families from falling into danger.Al Mazrouei pointed out that the game was currently available on the platform in a local operating format but would be made available in the future through digital platforms or Sharjah Police’s website to allow a larger number of children to benefit from it at any time.