Mohan Shahi, a 28-year-old man from Jumla, was arrested by police from Baraiche in Panchapuri Municipality, Surkhet, on August 27 on charges of dealing with drugs. Locals in Baraiche had earlier informed the police after suspecting Shahi’s involvement in selling and possessing drugs.

He was already under police watch and was arrested in possession of brown sugar two days after the locals had informed the police against him. Police said the tip-off was the direct outcome of their ongoing awareness campaign known as “sticker campaign,” under which police have been pasting stickers with police phone numbers on houses to allow the public to immediately inform the police about suspicious and criminal activities. The campaign was launched by the Karnali Provincial Police Office with the aim to cover over 370,000 households in the province.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Shiv Budha Chettri of the District Police Office, Dolpa, there is little to no police presence in the far-flung villages and this has emboldened criminals to conduct illegal activities.

The campaign has helped police nab criminals with the help of the locals, said Chettri.

According to the Chanderi Area Police Office in ward 5 of Chankheli Rural Municipality in Humla district, they have received nine reports of criminal activities in the villages in the past month.

According to Chankheli Police Station, they have received nine reports of criminal activities in the last month.

Veerdatta Rawal, a local of Lepka village, in ward 5 of Chankheli-5, said that the campaign has given the locals direct access to police and has helped them not only nab criminals but file complaints against domestic violence.

“These days police reach the residence of the victim of domestic violence soon after receiving a complaint. Many victims of domestic violence and abuse, which are pretty common in my area, have also come forward after police launched the sticker campaign. Now it is very easy for people to report crime in their area,” said Rawal.

There is a police station in ward 6 of Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality in upper Dolpa, but if a local from ward 5 or 7 of the rural municipality were to report a crime, they would have to undertake a day’s journey to reach the police station.

According to Chettri, earlier the police rarely received criminal complaints from wards 5, 6, and 7 of the Shey Phoksundo Rural Municipality, but after the launch of the campaign, 43 complaints of illegal activities and domestic violence have been registered with the police over the past month.

The Karnali provincial police have so far covered nearly 151,000 houses in 10 districts of the province under the campaign.

According to Superintendent of Police Kishor Lamsal of the Dailekh District Police Office, phone-based complaints from victims have increased by 66 percent in the past month. A total of 166 complaints, mostly about domestic violence, have been registered with the police during the past month, he said.

Deputy Inspector General Bhim Prasad Dhakal of the provincial police office said they have plans to visit at least 371,000 houses in the province under the campaign. “This campaign is really effective in the rural areas,” said Dhakal.

According to Navraj KC from ward 3 of Musikot Municipality in West Rukum, criminal activities in the municipality have come down since the launch of the ‘sticker campaign’.

“Now more people are aware that they should report crime to the police. The number of complaints through phone calls has increased by almost 43 percent across the province. Further arrangements are being made to make it easier for people to reach out to police,” said Dahal. “The police have received 1,900 calls from the remote areas of the province. Without the campaign, these cases would not be registered.”