Police, agency unite to save teenagers from drug

In a bid to curb the number of drug abuse cases among teenagers in Jakarta, the City Police and Jakarta education agency signed Friday a Memorandum of Understanding on a joint anti-drugs campaign and counseling program in high schools across the capital.  

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Wahyono and education agency head Taufik Yudi Mulyanto said the program was aimed at intensifying the role of counseling teachers in encouraging their students to stay away from drugs.

"As the first step, we will hold a one-month training to introduce the program to all high school counseling teachers," Wahyono said.

A team of 20 instructors, including psychologists and drug experts from the city police, will run the intensive training.

The Jakarta Police data shows that 45 percent of drug users in the city are school-aged children.