Drug controversy: WHO WILL ACT?
By NIGEL HUNT, GREG KELTON and CHRISTOPHER SALTER
10feb04
THE controversy over the sale of drugs to underage patrons of a city nightclub descended into farce yesterday.
Heaven nightclub, the scene of Saturday night's multiple ecstasy overdose, said it was impossible for staff to completely stop drug use.
The club management called on police to man its doors to prevent the entry of known drug dealers.
But police immediately rejected the request and said it was not their responsibility to provide security for nightclubs.
"We will assist them us much as we can, but that is their security issue," said the officer in charge of Adelaide CIB, Detective Chief Inspector Paul Dickson.
"All licensed premises have a duty to their patrons to ensure they are in a safe environment."
Premier Mike Rann also entered the debate, arguing that parents must take greater responsibility for their children's whereabouts. "No one is blaming parents," Mr Rann said.
"I am just appealing to parents of teenagers that we all have to be vigilant about where our children are and whose company they keep.
"Parents have a duty of care to know what their kids are doing and managers of nightclubs have a clear duty of care and they will also be held accountable."
Heaven nightclub management face a heavy fine or licence suspension following the incident, which involved four under-age clubbers, two girls aged 15 and two males, 16 and 17.
Managing director John Pike yesterday defended his business in the wake of the overdoses, saying it had a "zero tolerance policy to drugs in the venue".
"The management of any responsible nightclub, no matter how vigilant it remains, can ever hope to completely eradicate the use of illegal substances by patrons," he said.
"We urge the police to work with us, as the busiest venue in the state, to assist us by adopting a permanent position on the door so that they, who know the identity of suspected drug dealers, can identify them to us to prevent their entry into the premises."
The suggestion was immediately rejected by senior police. "We are not security officers," Inspector Dickson said. He said police worked closely with all nightclubs to eliminate drug dealers from the premises, but they could not identify any known drug dealer to any licensed premises owner for many reasons, including privacy laws.
The results of a police investigation into the overdoses will decide what action Liquor Licensing Commissioner Bill Prior takes against the West Tce nightclub. Mr Prior said yesterday the nightclub faced a reprimand, $10,000 fine, licence suspension or closure if found guilty of breaching the Liquor Licensing Act.
Opposition police spokesman Robert Brokenshire said the Government's tough talk on tackling drugs was achieving nothing.
"Instead of talking tough about so-called illegal bikie gangs and threatening heavier fines, he needs to beef up the law enforcement side of it and provide more resources trying to stop drug trafficking in this state," he said.
Yesterday Quong Quoc Mai, 21, of Reservoir in Victoria, appeared in court charged with two counts of supplying a prohibited substance to a child.
Police alleged Mai gave the drug ecstasy to two 16-year old female friends, both of whom overdosed after taking the tablet.
"He was in the company of these two girls on this night at Heaven and it is alleged that, during the course of the evening, he supplied the drug to one of the victims twice," Sally Pfitzner, prosecuting said.
Mai was remanded in custody until next month.