❓ WA Police provides data on methamphetamine seizures and manufacturing charges, but lacks systematic data on meth's role in arrests, call-outs, and violent offences. Wastewater analysis informs intelligence, and specialist squads operate statewide.
AnsweredQoN 547Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
For each of the financial years 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, and year-to-date 2025–26: (a) How many arrests were made by WA Police where methamphetamine was a contributing factor; (b) How many charges were laid for meth possession, trafficking, or manufacturing; (c) What was the total volume and estimated street value of methamphetamine seized by WA Police; (d) How many seizures occurred at the border (ports, airports, freight) compared with metropolitan and regional operations; (e) How many police call-outs were recorded where methamphetamine use was identified as a contributing factor in the incident; (f) What proportion of violent offences attended by police were meth-related; (g) How many WA Police officers are currently assigned to specialist drug squads or taskforces targeting methamphetamine supply and trafficking; (h) How many of those positions are based in regional WA, and what resourcing changes have been made since 2021–22 in response to high meth use in regional towns; (i) Is wastewater analysis data on methamphetamine consumption actively used by WA Police to inform enforcement operations; (j) If yes to (i), how is that data operationalised (e.g. patrol deployments, taskforce targeting, or regional surge operations); and (k) What performance measures does WA Police use to assess the effectiveness of its anti-meth strategies?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
14 October 2025
Responded by
Minister for Police
Response time
7 days
(a) Incidents recorded in the WA Police Force’s Incident Management System (IMS) may be flagged as involving drugs, however the type of drug cannot be determined in a reliable and systematic manner.
(b) The WA Police Force cannot provide the number of charges for trafficking and possession of methamphetamine as the charges recorded under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 in the police Prosecution application system does not record the drug type in a reliable and systematic manner. Determining the number of charges where the prohibited drug is methamphetamine would require significant manual data interrogation, which would not be appropriate use of operational resources.
Table 1. Total number of charges for methamphetamine manufacturing:
Financial Year
Methamphetamine Manufacture Charges
2021-22
5
2022-23
3
2023-24
3
2024-25
1 + Pending Lab Reports
2025-26 YTD*
Lab Reports Pending
*Year to date is 01 July 2025 to 21 September 2025, inclusive
(c) Table 2. The total volume and estimated street value of methamphetamine seized by WA Police Force by financial year :
Financial Year
Weight (kg)
$ @ $100 Per 0.1 Gram
2021-22
93.64
$93.64 million
2022-23
221.3
$221.30 million
2023-24
358.42
$358.42 million
2024-25
209.86
$209.80 million
2025-26 YTD*
85.04
$85.00 million
Total
968.26
$968 million
* Year to date is 01 July 2025 to 21 September 2025, inclusive
(d) Operation locations are not specifically recorded on the IMS. It should be noted that drug seizures are recorded as property items linked to an incident on IMS. There is no direct link between the seized item and the actual location of the seizure – only the offence location is captured.
(e) The number of police attendance where methamphetamine use was identified as a contributing factor is not readily available in a reliable and systematic manner.
(f) ‘Violent offences’ is not a category or incident type captured in the police dispatch system.
(g) 170 - as at 28 August 2025.The Transnational Serious Organised Crime Squad collaborates with state, national, and international law enforcement partners, government agencies, the private sector, and the community as part of the overall strategy to minimising harm and keeping the community of Western Australia safe. Additionally, and Firearm Squad continues to focus on Western Australia based drug networks that directly harm the community, while the Border Operations Squad target drug distribution networks and couriers at the State’s border points, including land, rail, air, and sea.
(h) The WA Police Force’s Serious and Organised Crime Division (SOCD) is dedicated to targeting the unlawful activities of transnational serious organised crime groups and organised crime syndicates adversely impacting the state of Western Australia.
The SOCD regularly deploys to regional Western Australia to conduct operations; execute search warrants; collect evidence and intelligence pertaining to illicit drugs, including methylamphetamine.
Detectives within the SOCD assist Metropolitan/Regional Western Australia Detective Offices who are responsible for the investigations of serious offences involving illicit drugs within the metropolitan area and regional Western Australia. This includes deployments to regional Western Australia at the requests of Regional Western Australia Detective Offices.
(i) The WA Police Force refers to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (the Program), an Australian Government-funded initiative that provides insights into drug consumption trends for methylamphetamine, and other illicit and licit substances, across Australia.
The WA Police Force collects and analyses intelligence from a wide range of sources to detect and disrupt criminal activity involving illicit drugs in Western Australia, This includes working with other State/Federal organisations and participating in working groups with government and non-government agencies like the Overdose Strategy Group, chaired by the Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs, Mental Health Commission.
The Program results, in conjunction with information and intelligence provides the WA Police Force a basis in which to conduct illicit drug operations and investigations in metropolitan region and regional Western Australia.
(j) The data is operationalised through operations and investigations, conducted by SOCD and Regional WA Detectives.
(k) The WA Police Force Key Performance Indicators are reported in the Annual Report and address the following areas;
· Timely and Quality Responses to Calls for Help;
· High Visibility Policing;
· Victim Safety;
· Timely and Quality Investigations;
· Community Demand; and
· Community Satisfaction and Confidence.
In addition to these indicators, and specific to drug enforcement actions, data is collected in relation to the number of search warrants executed, drug seizures, prosecutions, vehicle and border search operations.
Notes:
1. Statistics in Table 2 are provisional and subject to revision.
2. Statistics in Table 2 are of drug property items recorded in the Western Australia Police Force’s Incident Management System with a classification of ‘seized’ or ‘found’, and a description of ‘Amphetamine/Methylamphetamine’.
3. Statistics in Table 2 exclude property items where the record captures the results of chemical testing or indicates a sample amount, as identified by the free-text description including the text “ENIPID”, "Botanist" or "CCWA%Sub" (with "%" indicating a wildcard).
Statistics in Table 2 assume that the recorded weight or volume is the total weight or volume for the property recorded and does not take into account the quantity recorded. Property items recorded as ‘units’ or ‘trace’ cannot be reliably aggregated and have been excluded.
4. Statistics in Table 2 do not include drugs seized by agencies external to the WA Police Force (such as the Australian Federal Police).
(b) The WA Police Force cannot provide the number of charges for trafficking and possession of methamphetamine as the charges recorded under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1981 in the police Prosecution application system does not record the drug type in a reliable and systematic manner. Determining the number of charges where the prohibited drug is methamphetamine would require significant manual data interrogation, which would not be appropriate use of operational resources.
Table 1. Total number of charges for methamphetamine manufacturing:
Financial Year
Methamphetamine Manufacture Charges
2021-22
5
2022-23
3
2023-24
3
2024-25
1 + Pending Lab Reports
2025-26 YTD*
Lab Reports Pending
*Year to date is 01 July 2025 to 21 September 2025, inclusive
(c) Table 2. The total volume and estimated street value of methamphetamine seized by WA Police Force by financial year :
Financial Year
Weight (kg)
$ @ $100 Per 0.1 Gram
2021-22
93.64
$93.64 million
2022-23
221.3
$221.30 million
2023-24
358.42
$358.42 million
2024-25
209.86
$209.80 million
2025-26 YTD*
85.04
$85.00 million
Total
968.26
$968 million
* Year to date is 01 July 2025 to 21 September 2025, inclusive
(d) Operation locations are not specifically recorded on the IMS. It should be noted that drug seizures are recorded as property items linked to an incident on IMS. There is no direct link between the seized item and the actual location of the seizure – only the offence location is captured.
(e) The number of police attendance where methamphetamine use was identified as a contributing factor is not readily available in a reliable and systematic manner.
(f) ‘Violent offences’ is not a category or incident type captured in the police dispatch system.
(g) 170 - as at 28 August 2025.The Transnational Serious Organised Crime Squad collaborates with state, national, and international law enforcement partners, government agencies, the private sector, and the community as part of the overall strategy to minimising harm and keeping the community of Western Australia safe. Additionally, and Firearm Squad continues to focus on Western Australia based drug networks that directly harm the community, while the Border Operations Squad target drug distribution networks and couriers at the State’s border points, including land, rail, air, and sea.
(h) The WA Police Force’s Serious and Organised Crime Division (SOCD) is dedicated to targeting the unlawful activities of transnational serious organised crime groups and organised crime syndicates adversely impacting the state of Western Australia.
The SOCD regularly deploys to regional Western Australia to conduct operations; execute search warrants; collect evidence and intelligence pertaining to illicit drugs, including methylamphetamine.
Detectives within the SOCD assist Metropolitan/Regional Western Australia Detective Offices who are responsible for the investigations of serious offences involving illicit drugs within the metropolitan area and regional Western Australia. This includes deployments to regional Western Australia at the requests of Regional Western Australia Detective Offices.
(i) The WA Police Force refers to the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission’s National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program (the Program), an Australian Government-funded initiative that provides insights into drug consumption trends for methylamphetamine, and other illicit and licit substances, across Australia.
The WA Police Force collects and analyses intelligence from a wide range of sources to detect and disrupt criminal activity involving illicit drugs in Western Australia, This includes working with other State/Federal organisations and participating in working groups with government and non-government agencies like the Overdose Strategy Group, chaired by the Office of Alcohol and Other Drugs, Mental Health Commission.
The Program results, in conjunction with information and intelligence provides the WA Police Force a basis in which to conduct illicit drug operations and investigations in metropolitan region and regional Western Australia.
(j) The data is operationalised through operations and investigations, conducted by SOCD and Regional WA Detectives.
(k) The WA Police Force Key Performance Indicators are reported in the Annual Report and address the following areas;
· Timely and Quality Responses to Calls for Help;
· High Visibility Policing;
· Victim Safety;
· Timely and Quality Investigations;
· Community Demand; and
· Community Satisfaction and Confidence.
In addition to these indicators, and specific to drug enforcement actions, data is collected in relation to the number of search warrants executed, drug seizures, prosecutions, vehicle and border search operations.
Notes:
1. Statistics in Table 2 are provisional and subject to revision.
2. Statistics in Table 2 are of drug property items recorded in the Western Australia Police Force’s Incident Management System with a classification of ‘seized’ or ‘found’, and a description of ‘Amphetamine/Methylamphetamine’.
3. Statistics in Table 2 exclude property items where the record captures the results of chemical testing or indicates a sample amount, as identified by the free-text description including the text “ENIPID”, "Botanist" or "CCWA%Sub" (with "%" indicating a wildcard).
Statistics in Table 2 assume that the recorded weight or volume is the total weight or volume for the property recorded and does not take into account the quantity recorded. Property items recorded as ‘units’ or ‘trace’ cannot be reliably aggregated and have been excluded.
4. Statistics in Table 2 do not include drugs seized by agencies external to the WA Police Force (such as the Australian Federal Police).
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