❓ Mr. Katsambanis questions the government's commitment to combating methamphetamine use, alleging the disbanding of a task force. The Minister refutes this, claiming increased resources and a more effective strategy.
AnsweredQoN 451Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
METH ENFORCEMENT TASK
FORCE — POLICE
451. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Minister for Police:
Yesterday's Australian Criminal
Intelligence Commission national wastewater drug monitoring program revealed
that methamphetamine use was still by far the most prevalent illicit drug used
in Western Australia. In light of this, why has the McGowan government decided
to wind-up the meth enforcement task force, reducing the ability of police to
focus on this insidious and terrible drug that is tearing communities apart
across our state?
FORCE — POLICE
451. Mr P.A. KATSAMBANIS to the Minister for Police:
Yesterday's Australian Criminal
Intelligence Commission national wastewater drug monitoring program revealed
that methamphetamine use was still by far the most prevalent illicit drug used
in Western Australia. In light of this, why has the McGowan government decided
to wind-up the meth enforcement task force, reducing the ability of police to
focus on this insidious and terrible drug that is tearing communities apart
across our state?
AnswerView source ↗
When the opposition gets something
wrong, it gets it very, very wrong, because we have not disbanded any part of
the meth task force. We have not taken any officers away from targeting
methamphetamine in the state. The fact of the matter is that we have a stronger
and better effort on methamphetamine than ever before. I told this house last
week that we were really fortunate to have the former head of the ACIC Mr Chris
Dawson, an experienced officer with 40 years' experience, and three of
them at the helm of the premier law enforcement agency in Australia. He headed
that up targeting drugs. He was ably assisted there by a former Victorian
officer, originally a Western Australian, in
Col Blanch, who was successful in becoming assistant commissioner in Western
Australia last year. He has proven himself—he is now the deputy commissioner.
When he saw that article today and he saw the comments and whatever, I spoke to
him about that. He said, ''Nothing could be further from the truth. It
is 180 degrees away from where we are going. We are targeting methamphetamine
and other drugs like never before.'' He said that we are quadrupling our
effort in targeting methamphetamine.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : But he is not just
singling out methamphetamine; that is true. If members look at last week ,
they would see they took 90 kilograms of drugs, guns and about $4 million worth
of cash, and 75 kilos of that was methamphetamine, because that is the main
commodity in Western Australia. That so-called disbanding of a squad of 16—guess
what? It is now a squad of 35. Yes, it has a new label, but there are not 16
anymore in that squad, there are now 35 in that squad. More officers than ever
before are targeting the scourge of methamphetamine.
Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Hillarys, you have a supplementary.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : It is a load
of spin.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is not
spin—the Leader of the Opposition can speak to the acting commissioner
himself, if she likes. She should have read his interview on 6PR with Gareth
Parker, in which he absolutely clarified what is going on. But just today, he
has briefed over 100 detectives from the organised crime squad on their target
of methamphetamine and other drugs, looking at the dealers, following the
money, and tasking them on retrieving the guns, retrieving the cash and
downloading their mobile phones. It is a stronger effort than we have ever had
before in Western Australia, and the member should hang his head in shame and
get his facts before he comes in here peddling lies and mistruth.
wrong, it gets it very, very wrong, because we have not disbanded any part of
the meth task force. We have not taken any officers away from targeting
methamphetamine in the state. The fact of the matter is that we have a stronger
and better effort on methamphetamine than ever before. I told this house last
week that we were really fortunate to have the former head of the ACIC Mr Chris
Dawson, an experienced officer with 40 years' experience, and three of
them at the helm of the premier law enforcement agency in Australia. He headed
that up targeting drugs. He was ably assisted there by a former Victorian
officer, originally a Western Australian, in
Col Blanch, who was successful in becoming assistant commissioner in Western
Australia last year. He has proven himself—he is now the deputy commissioner.
When he saw that article today and he saw the comments and whatever, I spoke to
him about that. He said, ''Nothing could be further from the truth. It
is 180 degrees away from where we are going. We are targeting methamphetamine
and other drugs like never before.'' He said that we are quadrupling our
effort in targeting methamphetamine.
Several members interjected.
The SPEAKER : Members!
Mrs
M.H. ROBERTS : But he is not just
singling out methamphetamine; that is true. If members look at last week ,
they would see they took 90 kilograms of drugs, guns and about $4 million worth
of cash, and 75 kilos of that was methamphetamine, because that is the main
commodity in Western Australia. That so-called disbanding of a squad of 16—guess
what? It is now a squad of 35. Yes, it has a new label, but there are not 16
anymore in that squad, there are now 35 in that squad. More officers than ever
before are targeting the scourge of methamphetamine.
Mr P.A. Katsambanis interjected.
The SPEAKER : Member for
Hillarys, you have a supplementary.
Mrs L.M. Harvey : It is a load
of spin.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS : It is not
spin—the Leader of the Opposition can speak to the acting commissioner
himself, if she likes. She should have read his interview on 6PR with Gareth
Parker, in which he absolutely clarified what is going on. But just today, he
has briefed over 100 detectives from the organised crime squad on their target
of methamphetamine and other drugs, looking at the dealers, following the
money, and tasking them on retrieving the guns, retrieving the cash and
downloading their mobile phones. It is a stronger effort than we have ever had
before in Western Australia, and the member should hang his head in shame and
get his facts before he comes in here peddling lies and mistruth.
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