❓ A parliamentary question regarding the success of the McGowan Labor government's 'meth border force' in combating methamphetamine supply and dismantling drug syndicates in WA, followed by a detailed response from the Minister for Police highlighting resource allocation, strategies, and operational successes.
AnsweredQoN 412Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METH BORDER FORCE
412. MR S.J. PRICE to the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's record
funding for the meth border force and its work in tackling the scourge of
methamphetamine in WA. Can the minister update the house on the success that
the meth border force is having in cracking
down on the supply of this insidious drug and dismantling those drug syndicates
that peddle it.
412. MR S.J. PRICE to the
Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan Labor government's record
funding for the meth border force and its work in tackling the scourge of
methamphetamine in WA. Can the minister update the house on the success that
the meth border force is having in cracking
down on the supply of this insidious drug and dismantling those drug syndicates
that peddle it.
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield for his question about
this most important issue. I thank him for his continued support of Western Australia
Police Force officers, particularly our officers in Forrestfield. Members will
be aware that ahead of the last election, we made a commitment that if we were
elected to government, we would tackle the scourge of methamphetamine head on.
We said that we would put in place sentences of up to life imprisonment for
those who traffic methamphetamine, and that was the first piece of legislation
introduced in this house after the election. We also said that we would provide
the Western Australia Police Force with 100 additional officers and 20
specialist officers to fund that meth border force—120 extra personnel.
We have backed that up in government and over $125 million has been allocated
to the Western Australia Police Force to employ those officers and to deal with
the scourge of methamphetamine. More than that, we have also provided
specialist equipment to back that up.
That includes things like the meth trucks I have spoken about
before in Parliament, the vans that have gone out to regional areas, the
technology that helps to identify drugs very simply and quickly, and the
technology that helps to download mobile phones very, very quickly. What we
know is that those criminal organisations, those organised crime groups that
peddle methamphetamine and other drugs in our communities, peddle it in
conjunction with guns and other weapons, and they deal in very large quantities
of cash. Essentially, the Western Australian Police Force has put this resource
to amazingly brilliant use. It has developed a new strategy and a fresh
approach to targeting methamphetamine and other drug syndicates in our state
and beyond our borders.
As members would be aware,
Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Dawson, formerly headed up the Australian
Crime and Intelligence Commission and Mr Col Blanch, our now deputy
commissioner, was a senior officer of the commission.
They have taken up the challenge put to them by our government to tackle those
drug dealers and those drug
syndicates. They are now doing it through a new strategy called WARPOT, which
stands for Western Australian regional priority organisational target.
Today, it was announced that the first of the six identified targets has
largely been broken apart. In that organisation, there have been some
phenomenal results. There have been big drug busts before, and often police
will come across or seize a large amount of methamphetamine, but this strategy
is about disrupting and destroying organised
crime syndicates. As part of Operation Signal, the WA Police Force has seized 75
kilograms of methamphetamine, most of which was seized in Kalgoorlie; 10.5 kilograms
of heroin; three kilograms of cocaine; two kilograms of MDMA, otherwise known
as ecstasy; 13 firearms including long-arm rifles and pistols; and over $4 million
in cash, of which some $1.2 million was seized in the last week alone and is on
display at police headquarters today. Fifty people have been charged with over
130 offences. This strategy is a new way of targeting these criminal
organisations.
We know that drug dealers and crime
organisations do not stick within state boundaries, nor do they stick within
national boundaries. These drug cartels deal across Australia and across the
world. As part of the new strategy and their
ongoing work, the commissioner and deputy commissioner are liaising and working
very closely with not only ICAC, but also the Australia Transaction
Reports and Analysis Centre, the Australian Federal Police Federal and police from other countries such as the United
States' Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency. Just like the drug dealers, our law enforcement officers
are going across borders as well. They are following the money, weapons and
drugs, and they are getting great results. What we have seen today is the start
of a very new strategy for WA Police. It is not just about the last week or
two; this work has been ongoing over the last year or so. It has delivered a tremendous
result that will take methamphetamine and other drugs off the streets of Western
Australia and, more importantly, it has not just disrupted but largely
destroyed a major drug syndicate in this state.
this most important issue. I thank him for his continued support of Western Australia
Police Force officers, particularly our officers in Forrestfield. Members will
be aware that ahead of the last election, we made a commitment that if we were
elected to government, we would tackle the scourge of methamphetamine head on.
We said that we would put in place sentences of up to life imprisonment for
those who traffic methamphetamine, and that was the first piece of legislation
introduced in this house after the election. We also said that we would provide
the Western Australia Police Force with 100 additional officers and 20
specialist officers to fund that meth border force—120 extra personnel.
We have backed that up in government and over $125 million has been allocated
to the Western Australia Police Force to employ those officers and to deal with
the scourge of methamphetamine. More than that, we have also provided
specialist equipment to back that up.
That includes things like the meth trucks I have spoken about
before in Parliament, the vans that have gone out to regional areas, the
technology that helps to identify drugs very simply and quickly, and the
technology that helps to download mobile phones very, very quickly. What we
know is that those criminal organisations, those organised crime groups that
peddle methamphetamine and other drugs in our communities, peddle it in
conjunction with guns and other weapons, and they deal in very large quantities
of cash. Essentially, the Western Australian Police Force has put this resource
to amazingly brilliant use. It has developed a new strategy and a fresh
approach to targeting methamphetamine and other drug syndicates in our state
and beyond our borders.
As members would be aware,
Commissioner of Police, Mr Chris Dawson, formerly headed up the Australian
Crime and Intelligence Commission and Mr Col Blanch, our now deputy
commissioner, was a senior officer of the commission.
They have taken up the challenge put to them by our government to tackle those
drug dealers and those drug
syndicates. They are now doing it through a new strategy called WARPOT, which
stands for Western Australian regional priority organisational target.
Today, it was announced that the first of the six identified targets has
largely been broken apart. In that organisation, there have been some
phenomenal results. There have been big drug busts before, and often police
will come across or seize a large amount of methamphetamine, but this strategy
is about disrupting and destroying organised
crime syndicates. As part of Operation Signal, the WA Police Force has seized 75
kilograms of methamphetamine, most of which was seized in Kalgoorlie; 10.5 kilograms
of heroin; three kilograms of cocaine; two kilograms of MDMA, otherwise known
as ecstasy; 13 firearms including long-arm rifles and pistols; and over $4 million
in cash, of which some $1.2 million was seized in the last week alone and is on
display at police headquarters today. Fifty people have been charged with over
130 offences. This strategy is a new way of targeting these criminal
organisations.
We know that drug dealers and crime
organisations do not stick within state boundaries, nor do they stick within
national boundaries. These drug cartels deal across Australia and across the
world. As part of the new strategy and their
ongoing work, the commissioner and deputy commissioner are liaising and working
very closely with not only ICAC, but also the Australia Transaction
Reports and Analysis Centre, the Australian Federal Police Federal and police from other countries such as the United
States' Drug Enforcement Administration and the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency. Just like the drug dealers, our law enforcement officers
are going across borders as well. They are following the money, weapons and
drugs, and they are getting great results. What we have seen today is the start
of a very new strategy for WA Police. It is not just about the last week or
two; this work has been ongoing over the last year or so. It has delivered a tremendous
result that will take methamphetamine and other drugs off the streets of Western
Australia and, more importantly, it has not just disrupted but largely
destroyed a major drug syndicate in this state.
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