Jordan’s Anti-Narcotics Department (AND) recently concluded the first half of its 2018 preventive programme, giving more than 4,000 lectures in educational and civil institutes across the country, the Jordan Times reported Tuesday (August 28th).
"The traditional job of all the departments under the Public Security Directorate is to catch criminals and punish them but, over the past few years, our approach has changed," AND director Anwar Tarawneh said at a Monday press conference.
"We are trying to stop the harm before it happens rather than deal with the aftermath," he said.
The department has appointed its workers to perform plays, appear on talk shows, share videos on social media, hold exhibitions and raise the youth’s awareness through workshops.
They also have expanded their talks and lectures to include malls and public places rather than only using the AND building itself.
According to Tarawneh, AND is trying to use the technological resources at hand to find more "contemporary" ways of raising awareness.
"The first half of the programme was a success, but there are many more steps planned for the next half, which starts as of September. We have contacted over 6,000 schools and universities to include in our outreach," said AND spokesman Anas Tantawi.
