Another forty area police officers joined the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, undertaking training to allow them to teach high school students how to resist peer pressure and drug use.
Region 2 police deputy commander Maj. Gen. Rungrith Sunzup presided over the launch of the D.A.R.E. training program for police officers June 2 at the Sea Breeze Hotel in Pattaya.
All 40 policemen taking part this semester pose for a class photo with officials and instructors after the opening ceremony.
D.A.R.E., founded in 1983 in the United States, came to Thailand in 1999 and works to give kids the skills they need to avoid involvement in drugs, gangs, and violence.
To prepare for teaching the D.A.R.E. program in schools, police officers undergo 80 hours of training in areas such as child development, classroom management, teaching techniques, and communication skills. Another 40 hours of additional training are provided to D.A.R.E. instructors to prepare them to teach the high school curriculum.
Lessons aim to give children the skills needed to recognize and resist the subtle and overt pressures that cause them to experiment with drugs or become involved in gangs or violent activities.
“Royal Thai Police have been working on this project seriously, using the trained officers as the main force to teach youths in schools in order and build good relationships between police and youths, teachers, parents and communities to work together to suppress drugs,” Rungrith said.
