Amarinder Singh has told Punjab police to take strict action against those helping drug peddlers.

A police officer has been dismissed from service for allegedly helping drug peddlers in Punjab's Jalandhar, news agency PTI reported today.

According to Jalandhar Police Commissioner Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Sarabjit Singh -- an Assistant Sub-Inspector with the Narcotics Cell -- was a drug addict himself. "The police officer was found guilty of violating service rules by helping drug peddlers in the locality. The accused has been dismissed from service after a thorough probe," PTI quoted him as saying.

Mr Bhullar said his department has a "zero tolerance policy" against narcotics.

The incident occurred a day after Patiala police dismissed 11 personnel, including six station house officers, for their alleged involvement in corruption and drug-related cases. A detailed probe had helped establish their guilt, Senior Superintendent of Police Mandeep Singh Sidhu told PTI, adding that they were placed under arrest immediately after their dismissal.

The action against police personnel in Jalandhar and Patiala came days after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh directed Director General of Police Dinker Gupta to crack down on law enforcement officers who are found to be assisting drug traffickers. During a meet, Amarinder Singh instructed the Punjab police chief to set up two Special Task Force (STF) teams in border districts to ensure that drugs do not cross into the country from neighbouring Pakistan. He also asked the State Advocate General to form a panel of legal experts to train police in effectively presenting their cases in court.

Earlier this month, the Chief Minister had sought Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for setting up a national drugs policy that focusses on enforcement, de-addiction and prevention of drug abuse. Pointing out that Punjab shares a 553-km border with Pakistan, he raised security concerns emerging from narco-terrorism.

(With inputs from PTI)