NCJ Number
204935
Date Published
2004
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This chapter provides a case study of how international policing policies and practices influenced the policing of a heroin market in a working-class suburb of Sydney, Australia.
Abstract
The main intention of the chapter is to illustrate how transferred crime control policies are implemented, how they may contrast with the local context, and how the transfer may not be of particular policies, but of specific attitudes and perceptions of crime control and general governance. In the 1990’s, Cabramatta, the suburb of Australia under study, became known as Australia’s heroin market. Cabramatta is the main point of arrival for Sydney’s immigrants and has a high proportion of non-English residents. The authors draw on their qualitative research of the area, which has been ongoing since 1995, in order to analyze the drug markets, public health, homelessness, crime, and policing in this suburb. The first section outlines the history of Cabramatta and its heroin market, as well as Australia’s strategy of denial and containment, which attempted to localize the heroin problem it could not stamp out. This approach was an expression of the broader policing approach that emerged in the United States and was still prevalent in the early 1990’s. The approach was defined by skepticism about the potential impact of policing on crime, a concern for the consequences of aggressive policing initiatives, and an emphasis on coordinated strategies of crime control. The second and third sections of the chapter draw conclusions from a study of policing policy, which interviewed police officers at every level, from constables to deputy commissioners. The interviews illustrate how Cabramatta became the battle ground over the overarching policing policy for Australia during 2000 and 2001. The third section focuses specifically on the parliamentary committee’s investigation of policing policies in Cabramatta. Central to the debate were issues of quality of life, harm reduction, and aspects of policy implementation. The authors question the process and conclusions of the parliamentary investigation, however they assert the influence of the final report on policing strategies in Australia is to be found in the confidence the inquiry restored in policing strategies and practices. Without confidence that police can restore quality of life and control crime, policing strategies will suffer from gaps in implementation. Notes, references