Drugs and Crime - A Law Enforcement Perspective (From Proceedings of the Institute of Criminology Seminar on Drugs and Crime, P 11-20, 1985 - See NCJ-101248)

• NCJ Number: 101249
• Author(s): J Willis
• Date Published: 1985
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: New South Wales
• Publication Type: Conference Material
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

This review of drug law enforcement in New South Wales, Australia, considers the extent of the problem, police strategy, drug user diversion programs, drug-related crime, and police recommendations for improved drug law enforcement.

Abstract

Drug trafficking and use continues to escalate in Australia, primarily in the Sydney area. Police strategy has been to use a specialized bureau to interdict drugs at import points, to attack major trafficking enterprises, to eradicate marijuana plantations, and to arrest dealers and users. The 1966 Poisons Act, the primary legislation under which the New South Wales police combat drugs, specifies police search and seizure powers as well as stop and search powers. The law also provides for the forfeiture of drug-related assets. Diversion programs are a central feature in a rehabilitative approach to users. Data indicate a correlation between drug use and property crime as well as between drug trafficking and violent crime. The major police problem in drug enforcement is the manpower and time required for surveillance and intelligence work. Police recommendations include the use of telephone intercepts, better access to suspects' financial records, the enactment of laws that target 'continuing criminal enterprises,' diversion of users at an earlier stage of processing, and more severe sentences for commercial traffickers and importers.