❓ Dr. Walker questions the Minister for Police regarding data on cannabis possession arrests versus cautions for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in WA, referencing similar data from Victoria and NSW. The Minister responds that the WA Police Force does not have readily available data due to the way drug offences are recorded.
AnsweredQoN 68Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
CANNABIS — OFFENCES
68. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the minister representing the
Minister for Police:
I
refer to recent data released by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency that
suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are far more likely
to be arrested for cannabis offences than to receive a caution compared with
the rest of the population. Similar figures were published by the New South Wales
Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research last year.
(1) Does the
minister have access to data in WA that shows the number of arrests, as opposed
to cautions, for cannabis possession, broken down to show the proportion of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in each category?
(2) If he does,
are those figures publicly available, will he share them with the house; and,
if no to either, why not?
68. Hon Dr BRIAN WALKER to the minister representing the
Minister for Police:
I
refer to recent data released by the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency that
suggests that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are far more likely
to be arrested for cannabis offences than to receive a caution compared with
the rest of the population. Similar figures were published by the New South Wales
Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research last year.
(1) Does the
minister have access to data in WA that shows the number of arrests, as opposed
to cautions, for cannabis possession, broken down to show the proportion of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders in each category?
(2) If he does,
are those figures publicly available, will he share them with the house; and,
if no to either, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the honourable member for
some notice of the question and answer on behalf of the minister representing.
The WA Police Force advise the following.
(1)–(2) No.
The offence for possession of prohibited drugs under section 6(2) of the Misuse
of Drugs Act 1981 does not specify the
particular drug type on the police incident management system. Therefore, d etermining
the number of charges when the prohibited drug is cannabis would require manual
data interrogation and would be extremely resource intensive.
some notice of the question and answer on behalf of the minister representing.
The WA Police Force advise the following.
(1)–(2) No.
The offence for possession of prohibited drugs under section 6(2) of the Misuse
of Drugs Act 1981 does not specify the
particular drug type on the police incident management system. Therefore, d etermining
the number of charges when the prohibited drug is cannabis would require manual
data interrogation and would be extremely resource intensive.
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