NEWS: Alarm at rise in arrests for drug use -- August 31, 2007 -- SMH

[Splatt]

Alarm at rise in arrests for drug use -- August 31, 2007
By Jordan Baker Chief Police Reporter

A SURGE in arrests for cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy possession has prompted fears of higher rates of violence and theft.

Although arrests for trafficking and dealing most drugs have fallen, the purity of cocaine suggests more is slipping through border security.

In the 12 months to June, most major crime rates were steady or dropped. But arrests for cocaine possession jumped almost 70 per cent to 359 on the previous period.

Arrests for amphetamine use or possession rose 24.3 per cent to 2658, and the number of people charged for possession of ecstasy increased from 780 to 1021.

Arrests for possession represented only a fraction of those actually using the drugs but indicated a trend, said Don Weatherburn, head of the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research.

"We certainly need to work harder at the amphetamine and cocaine problem; there's no question that it's growing," he said.

"I don't think that the jump in arrests … is just a case of tougher law enforcement. You can tell that just by looking at hospital admissions for these sorts of problems.

"The biggest worry is that the purity of cocaine is increasing, which is a sign that less of it is being caught at the border and fewer traffickers are being apprehended."

Use might be recreational at the moment, but if those users became dependent on the drugs it might create a surge in related crime such as violence or theft.

As arrests for use of amphetamine and ecstasy grew, incidences of trafficking and dealing in the drugs fell.

The incidences of dealing amphetamines dropped from 798 to 668, while arrests for dealing or trafficking ecstasy fell from 446 to 350, according to the 12-month crime statistics, which are released quarterly.

The Greens MP Lee Rhiannon said the figures showed police resources were concentrated on catching small-time drug users, not commercial suppliers.

But Dr Weatherburn said it was hard to judge policing based on arrests for dealing, as police argue that the most important thing is the quality of the arrest - that is, how far up the offenders are in the dealing chain.

The only major crime to have increased substantially was theft from motor vehicles, especially from shopping centre or apartment car parks.

In a sample of 20 stolen cars, thieves stole an airbag, an iPod, two wheels from a Subaru, two GPS systems, numberplates, and two bulletproof vests from a police car.

SMH News

 

[peaked]

I'm more alarmed that they even bother arresting people for mere drug use. They mention in the second line

"...arrests for trafficking and dealing most drugs have fallen..."

I guess that means they aren't smart enough to catch the dealers so they'll just have to feel good about themselves by busting a couple of ravers that are obviously munted. It also says that

"most major crime rates were steady or dropped"

but hey, that doesn't stop them to also say

ecstasy possession has prompted fears of higher rates of violence and theft.

I love the logic (or lack thereof) in some of these articles!

I find the increase in users getting arrested as somewhat disturbing. Maybe people are being more openly defiant against the laws that discriminate against them, or maybe they are just getting dumber and less capable of discretely consuming drugs in public. At any rate, the decrease in arrests of dealers simply means the dealers are being smart about things - it certain doesn't mean anything about the availability of drugs (as further reinforced by the fact that, as the article title suggests, more users are getting arrested now).


On a side note - I'm pleased to see cocaine is becoming more prevalent, maybe we'll see an increase in availability and a decrease in pricing accordingly. It's not a drug I've had much experience with at all due to the general lack of availability and quality, as well as an exuberant price, so to me it seems new and exciting - and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.

 

[juice_soldier]

they forget to mention that people need to buy more pills these days just to get high off them