❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses methamphetamine use in regional areas, police intervention, drug reduction strategies, police staffing levels, and support structures for drug users. The response provides data limitations, outlines police strategies, details vehicle search authorities, and refers questions about support structures to the Minister for Health.
AnsweredQoN 5380Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to recent media reports of high methamphetamine use in regional areas, and I ask: (a) In the last two years, how many incidents requiring police intervention have occurred in North West Central as a direct result of methamphetamine use; (b) What actions are the police taking to reduce access to drugs, and in particular methamphetamine in the Mining and Pastoral Region; (c) In the Mining and Pastoral Region, are all full-time equivalent (FTE) police positions filled: (i) If not, how many vacancies are there across the Mining and Pastoral Region; (d) What support structures are in place in the Mining and Pastoral Region to assist people who want to stop using drugs; and (e) Are all rehabilitation requests in North West Central able to be supported and fulfilled?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
18 September 2019
Responded by
Minister for Police; Road Safety
Response time
11 days
(a) Whether police intervention in an incident has occurred as the direct result of methamphetamine use is not specifically recorded in WA Police Force systems. As such, figures cannot be provided for the number of incidents requiring police intervention that have occurred in North West Central as a direct result of methamphetamine use. However, DUMA results from the Perth watch house indicate that the percentage of detainees testing positive to methylamphetamine increased from 28% in 2012 to over 60% in 2016.
(b) The Western Australia Police Force uses both the Commissioner’s Command Intent Statement and the Illicit Drug Strategy to focus policing efforts towards reducing the impact and harm of illicit drugs (including methylamphetamine) in the community.WA Police Force activity against the supply of drugs across the state, including the Mining and Patrol Region, is driven by intelligence from various sources including local communities, industries, government agencies and other law enforcement and security agencies. That intelligence is used to target:
Each policing district within the Mining and Pastoral Region frequently conduct operations at police sub-district level and district levels. Operations of a more complex nature may involve support from specialist police services and partnership with national and international law enforcement.
Recent examples of operations employing these strategies include:
Anecdotally, Methylamphetamine is seized more frequently by police in coastal towns and major regional centres.
The Western Australia Police Force are committed to the detection of drugs and disruption of suspected drug trafficking routes throughout the state including mining and pastoral regions.
The WA Police Force work with partner agencies which include, but are not limited to the Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and international trusted partners in order to assist to identify any movement of illicit commodities through ports or borders in the state including the Pilbara, Kimberly and Goldfields Esperance regions. If identified all agencies work together to provide a coordinated approach to preventing the commodities from reaching the streets and to apprehend those responsible.
Recognizing that illicit substances are often transported by road into regional Western Australia, the WA Police Force use the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 to empower members to proactively conduct general drug detection through searches, the use of drug detection dogs and electronic drug detection systems.
Section 20 (A to L) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 provides that a member of the WA Police Force may obtain authority to set up a drug detection area. These areas can be one of two types, a Vehicle Search Authority (Regional Western Australia) or a Delivery Business by way of a Premises Search Authority. The, Section 20B of Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 relates to the actual vehicle search authorisation (VSA).
Since the introduction of the legislation the Western Australia Police Force has conducted the following VSA in the Mining and Pastoral Region:
02/10/2017 to 13/10/2017 Port Hedland
08/11/2017 to 10/11/2017 Ajana
07/12/2017 to 09/12/2017 Derby
21/01/2018 to 23/01/2018 Minilya
25/01/2018 to 27/01/2018 Derby
15/08/2018 to 16/08/2018 Broome
07/05/2019 to 09/05/2019 Kununurra
The WA Police Force in partnership with partner agencies will continue to maintain a presence in regional Western Australia, preventing illegal drugs and other commodities to be transported on WA roads and into ports, from reaching country towns susceptible to drug use.
(c) 9 as at September 10, 2019 across the Mining and Pastoral Region.
(d) – (e) These questions should be directed to the Minister for Health.
(b) The Western Australia Police Force uses both the Commissioner’s Command Intent Statement and the Illicit Drug Strategy to focus policing efforts towards reducing the impact and harm of illicit drugs (including methylamphetamine) in the community.WA Police Force activity against the supply of drugs across the state, including the Mining and Patrol Region, is driven by intelligence from various sources including local communities, industries, government agencies and other law enforcement and security agencies. That intelligence is used to target:
Each policing district within the Mining and Pastoral Region frequently conduct operations at police sub-district level and district levels. Operations of a more complex nature may involve support from specialist police services and partnership with national and international law enforcement.
Recent examples of operations employing these strategies include:
Anecdotally, Methylamphetamine is seized more frequently by police in coastal towns and major regional centres.
The Western Australia Police Force are committed to the detection of drugs and disruption of suspected drug trafficking routes throughout the state including mining and pastoral regions.
The WA Police Force work with partner agencies which include, but are not limited to the Australian Border Force (ABF), Australian Federal Police (AFP), Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) and international trusted partners in order to assist to identify any movement of illicit commodities through ports or borders in the state including the Pilbara, Kimberly and Goldfields Esperance regions. If identified all agencies work together to provide a coordinated approach to preventing the commodities from reaching the streets and to apprehend those responsible.
Recognizing that illicit substances are often transported by road into regional Western Australia, the WA Police Force use the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 to empower members to proactively conduct general drug detection through searches, the use of drug detection dogs and electronic drug detection systems.
Section 20 (A to L) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 provides that a member of the WA Police Force may obtain authority to set up a drug detection area. These areas can be one of two types, a Vehicle Search Authority (Regional Western Australia) or a Delivery Business by way of a Premises Search Authority. The, Section 20B of Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 relates to the actual vehicle search authorisation (VSA).
Since the introduction of the legislation the Western Australia Police Force has conducted the following VSA in the Mining and Pastoral Region:
02/10/2017 to 13/10/2017 Port Hedland
08/11/2017 to 10/11/2017 Ajana
07/12/2017 to 09/12/2017 Derby
21/01/2018 to 23/01/2018 Minilya
25/01/2018 to 27/01/2018 Derby
15/08/2018 to 16/08/2018 Broome
07/05/2019 to 09/05/2019 Kununurra
The WA Police Force in partnership with partner agencies will continue to maintain a presence in regional Western Australia, preventing illegal drugs and other commodities to be transported on WA roads and into ports, from reaching country towns susceptible to drug use.
(c) 9 as at September 10, 2019 across the Mining and Pastoral Region.
(d) – (e) These questions should be directed to the Minister for Health.
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