The Chief of Police, Brigadier Kipchu Namgyel, quoting Youth Delinquent Monitoring System Database, said 67 percent of the youth, who have committed crimes and abused substances, was because of peer pressure.
Brigadier Kipchu Namgyel said these youth will refrain from buckling under peer pressure if they have good company.
“So quality of friends is more important than your own quality.” The police chief said youth should not be out after 8 PM. “You should stay with your parents. And if you do so, I can guarantee that youth won’t commit any crime. Through my experience, I have come to know that an innocent youth is likely to get involved in a crime if they loiter with friends at night.”
While, a few youth BBS spoke to said there is a peer pressure to fit in, a few said it was their decision that led to addiction.
“My friends did not forcefully feed me the substances. I became addicted as I could not control my mind. I preferred bad over good. And when I was in a bad company committing crime became easier,” said one of the youth who is recovering from addiction.
Some of the youth says those found abusing substances are often terminated from schools and face difficulty in getting admission in other schools.
