Dubai In an interactive awareness workshop more than 250 students from seven schools were educated on the potentially life-threatening effects of drugs.
The workshop was organised on Tuesday by the British Embassy in partnership with Dubai Police and the Shaikh Mohammad Centre for Cultural Understanding (SMCCU).
The talk was structured around a drug addict's testimony, Dubai Police psychologist's views, drug samples and a Q&A session with the students.
Speaking to Gulf News about the need for drug awareness among students, Thyab Atta Ali, Head of Electronic Awareness, General Department of Community Service, Dubai Police, said: "Our presentations involve the audience — an effective approach to communicate our message.
Samples
"We had a volunteer who spoke about the suffering due to his drug addiction. We had a doctor from Dubai Police who spoke about different kind of drugs, showing samples including heroin and hashish. We had a police dog show, courtesy of the Dubai Police Criminal Evidence Department, demonstrating how drugs are identified and suspects are caught."
Of the importance to raise community awareness about the harmful effects of drugs among youth, Ali said: "As a policy, we at Dubai Police believe preventing crime is more effective than punishing. That is why we choose campaigns like these to reach out to the community".
The workshop wasn't the first organised by the Embassy that engages the community on a range of outreach activities to raise awareness of the traditions and culture of the UAE.
Its school outreach programme has been running for three years, advising students and parents on issues such as social ethics.
Referring to the workshop, Mandy Smith, Vice-Consul, told Gulf News: "The students had loads of questions about rules and regulations regarding alcohol, shisha, drugs and religion. They also wanted to know the difference between Emirati and British kids, and the Dubai Police representatives explained the law was for everyone."
Apart from the drug awareness talk, the cultural awareness session by SMCCU was also part of the workshop.
The centre has conducted programmes with more than 6,500 students. Nasif Kayed, general manager of the non-profit centre said: "The children were made to realise that they are responsible for their own actions, and the law is not against them, but here to protect them."
