NEWS: SMH (13/9/02) : Police drug dog raids leave bitter taste in clubs

It was a huge, highly publicised raid - 300 police with sniffer dogs hitting five Sydney nightclubs in the early hours of the morning in a crackdown on drugs.
Outside DCM in Oxford Street, dozens of people were forced to stand in small groups, with their legs apart, as a dog gave them the once-over.
The media was on hand to capture the drama and, as the television cameras rolled, senior officers described the operation as a huge success. Four people were charged with supplying drugs and about a dozen with minor possession offences.
Police vowed to take long-term action against the clubs and they did, going to court to have DCM, the EP1 and Zen clubs in Kings Cross and Embassy in Double Bay closed for six months. That was in October.
But nearly a year later, the "huge success" is being called into question because the actions against the clubs have been withdrawn or thrown out of court.
While senior police still strongly defend the raids - and vow there are more to come - some owners and licensees remain angry at what they say was a publicity stunt and a waste of taxpayers' money.
"They blocked off Oxford Street from Taylor Square to Wentworth Avenue, and what did they achieve - not very much," said one source. "How come they are not held to account for the cost to the community?"
The raids have continued this year, sources say, with dogs being taken through Hugo's Lounge in Kings Cross while people were eating in the restaurant.
Earlier, the Bourbon and Beefsteak was closed for 24 hours after undercover officers allegedly bought drugs from an employee. Police wanted a longer closure, but the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Kings Cross landmark reopening for the weekend.
The employee at the centre of the allegations no longer works at the Bourbon and Beefsteak, which is now operating under new management.
The Hugo's Lounge incident reportedly angered management, staff and patrons, with the sniffer dogs apparently taking a liking to the food.
"The dogs were jumping up on people's dinner; they had to refund money for meals," said one source. The owners refused to comment.
A senior policeman said that stricter controls had since been introduced. But police would continue to use the dogs to search patrons for drugs on licensed premises.
Licensing Court records show that just after the raids, police tried to put four clubs - DCM, EP1, Embassy and Zen - out of business, seeking an order closing them from October 29 to April 29 this year.
They argued that "drug-related activities" were occurring on the premises and that the licence was not being operated "in the public interest".
But the actions were either quietly withdrawn or dismissed, the last one in August. "They [the police] basically couldn't or wouldn't put together a case," said one source.
In an earlier matter involving EP1, court records show that costs of $9964 were awarded against the police.
But senior officers yesterday vigorously defended the tactics, saying that even though long-term closure had failed, the five clubs had been initially shut for 72 hours.
The Herald has learnt that a review of licensing laws is under way to facilitate the closure of clubs and bars where drug dealing is rife.
Assistant Commissioner Dick Adams said yesterday that the raids had raised community awareness of the problem.
"Let me say if anyone thinks it was a publicity stunt, just watch this space, because we will continue to raid premises when we get intelligence."
If the "huge success" of this is an indication of police intelligence these guys aint going to be winning Mastermind anytime soon... Read in the context of the article though the proposed review of licensing laws sounds a bit of a worry (the equivalent to the RAVE bill in the US would seem to fit the way the NSW legislature seems to be going).

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