❓ The Minister for Police outlines the WA government's multi-pronged approach to counter methamphetamine supply, including a dedicated police task force, collaboration with federal agencies, wastewater testing, and asset seizure.
AnsweredQoN 565Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METHAMPHETAMINES
565. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Police:
Can the minister please inform the house about what this
government is doing to counter the supply of methamphetamine in our community?
565. MR N.W. MORTON to the
Minister for Police:
Can the minister please inform the house about what this
government is doing to counter the supply of methamphetamine in our community?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Forrestfield for this question on a
drug that is of great concern to the people of Western Australia—a drug
that is wreaking havoc and tearing apart lives in our community. I appreciate
the member for Forrestfield's interest in what police are doing about
the supply end of the methamphetamine issue in our community. Obviously, my
colleague in the other place Minister Helen Morton is dealing with the demand
end of the methamphetamine issues facing our community.
Police and the government have been
working on a methamphetamine enforcement plan. We announced the start of that
action plan, which is a multi-pronged approach, just the other day. In this
space, within WA Police's organised crime unit there is now a
methamphetamine task force. This will comprise approximately 35 officers who
are being sourced as part of the government's growth program to provide
an additional 550 police and auxiliary officers. Those police officers will be
tasked with getting the information from a special meth action desk. All of the
information coming in to police about methamphetamine distribution in Western
Australia will be funnelled through that methamphetamine task force desk. Out
of that, police will build intelligence and put together particular targeted
operations specifically looking at the transit routes for methamphetamine in
the community. We are looking at how methamphetamine is getting into Western
Australia, how it is being transported around the state and how it is being
distributed in our suburbs. The ultimate goal of that team of 35 officers in
the methamphetamine task force is to seize methamphetamine, arrest those people
responsible and ensure that they are targeting the transit hubs.
In addition to that, our Joint Organised
Crime Task Force is working with our federal colleagues, the Australian Federal
Police, the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Transaction Reports and
Analysis Centre, and Australian Customs and border control. All government
agencies across commonwealth and state jurisdictions are working together
through that joint task force. Only last week they seized and removed 20 kilograms
of methamphetamine that would have been distributed into our community. As a
result, two people are presently facing charges of possession with intent to
sell or supply. Through the Joint Organised Crime Task Force, and WA Police, we
are looking at seizing assets and money and putting that back into our
methamphetamine action plan, amongst other things. As methamphetamine is an
illegal drug, people under-report their usage of it. The best tool that we have
is to inquire of the community about the level of methamphetamine use. The
results of those surveys are quite alarming. Methamphetamine use in the WA community
is at 3.8 per cent of the population whereas across the country it sits at
around 2.1 per cent.
We are also starting a trial. We
have copied South Australia and Victoria in having a look at sampling our
wastewater treatment plants so that we can understand the level of
methamphetamine use in our community. We will test three wastewater treatment
plants for metabolites—the by-product of methamphetamine consumption in
humans. Out of testing for the amount of metabolites in our wastewater
treatment plants we will have a better understanding of the level of meth use
in our community and about what else we need to do as a government.
We are driving this program hard and
fast with WA Police. Just as in the 1990s when we had a problem with heroin on
our streets—heroin was flooding the streets and there was an
unprecedented surge in heroin use in this state—police are now putting
all of their intelligence and effort into targeting methamphetamine use. We
will keep the pressure on to drive down usage and distribution of
methamphetamine in our community.
drug that is of great concern to the people of Western Australia—a drug
that is wreaking havoc and tearing apart lives in our community. I appreciate
the member for Forrestfield's interest in what police are doing about
the supply end of the methamphetamine issue in our community. Obviously, my
colleague in the other place Minister Helen Morton is dealing with the demand
end of the methamphetamine issues facing our community.
Police and the government have been
working on a methamphetamine enforcement plan. We announced the start of that
action plan, which is a multi-pronged approach, just the other day. In this
space, within WA Police's organised crime unit there is now a
methamphetamine task force. This will comprise approximately 35 officers who
are being sourced as part of the government's growth program to provide
an additional 550 police and auxiliary officers. Those police officers will be
tasked with getting the information from a special meth action desk. All of the
information coming in to police about methamphetamine distribution in Western
Australia will be funnelled through that methamphetamine task force desk. Out
of that, police will build intelligence and put together particular targeted
operations specifically looking at the transit routes for methamphetamine in
the community. We are looking at how methamphetamine is getting into Western
Australia, how it is being transported around the state and how it is being
distributed in our suburbs. The ultimate goal of that team of 35 officers in
the methamphetamine task force is to seize methamphetamine, arrest those people
responsible and ensure that they are targeting the transit hubs.
In addition to that, our Joint Organised
Crime Task Force is working with our federal colleagues, the Australian Federal
Police, the Australian Crime Commission, the Australian Transaction Reports and
Analysis Centre, and Australian Customs and border control. All government
agencies across commonwealth and state jurisdictions are working together
through that joint task force. Only last week they seized and removed 20 kilograms
of methamphetamine that would have been distributed into our community. As a
result, two people are presently facing charges of possession with intent to
sell or supply. Through the Joint Organised Crime Task Force, and WA Police, we
are looking at seizing assets and money and putting that back into our
methamphetamine action plan, amongst other things. As methamphetamine is an
illegal drug, people under-report their usage of it. The best tool that we have
is to inquire of the community about the level of methamphetamine use. The
results of those surveys are quite alarming. Methamphetamine use in the WA community
is at 3.8 per cent of the population whereas across the country it sits at
around 2.1 per cent.
We are also starting a trial. We
have copied South Australia and Victoria in having a look at sampling our
wastewater treatment plants so that we can understand the level of
methamphetamine use in our community. We will test three wastewater treatment
plants for metabolites—the by-product of methamphetamine consumption in
humans. Out of testing for the amount of metabolites in our wastewater
treatment plants we will have a better understanding of the level of meth use
in our community and about what else we need to do as a government.
We are driving this program hard and
fast with WA Police. Just as in the 1990s when we had a problem with heroin on
our streets—heroin was flooding the streets and there was an
unprecedented surge in heroin use in this state—police are now putting
all of their intelligence and effort into targeting methamphetamine use. We
will keep the pressure on to drive down usage and distribution of
methamphetamine in our community.
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