NEWS: Perth Now - 5.3.09 'Zero tolerance for ignoring drug bin'

[kingpin007]

Zero tolerance for ignoring drug bin

March 05, 2009 11:00am

A DRUG disposal bin will be trialled at the Rock-It music festival this weekend in what police believe is an Australian first.

The move follows the death of 17-year-old Perth girl Gemma Thoms, who died after taking three ecstasy pills before the Big Day Out in Perth on February 2.

Ms Thoms' friends said she swallowed the pills before entering the festival gates for fear of being caught by police.

WA Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said the drug disposal bin would be trialled at the Rock-It in Joondalup this weekend.

``The bin will be placed near the main entrance to the festival and patrons will be encouraged to use it without the threat of prosecution by police,'' Mr O'Callaghan said.

Once patrons pass the bin they will be subjected to the scrutiny of police and drug detection dogs.

``Anyone caught with drugs after passing the drug disposal bin will be subjected to prosecution to the full extent of the law,'' Mr O'Callaghan said.

A pamphlet to inform concert-goers of the dangers of drugs has been produced with the input of government and non-government agencies.

It will be distributed electronically to ticket holders by the event organisers and handed out at the Rock-It concert.

Sergeant Greg Lambert said it was his understanding it was the first trial of a drug disposal bin in Australia.

``I think we are the first ones to try it but there has been trials overseas, in England and the United States,'' Sgt Lambert said.

``The English trial seems to have been quite successful but in the United States it has proved otherwise.''

http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,27574,25142415-2761,00.html


Here is more on this -->

Drugs bin plan draws Barnett ire
5th March 2009, 6:00 WST

The strained relationship between the State Government and the Police Commissioner deteriorated further yesterday, with Premier Colin Barnett criticising Karl O’Callaghan’s plan to set up drug amnesty bins at concerts.

Mr Barnett said the bins would send the wrong message to the community. He then revealed that Treasury officials had been ordered to help police identify an “acceptable” list of budget cuts to achieve 3 per cent savings required of all departments.

It came after a list of high-profile cuts compiled by Mr O’Callaghan was rejected.

The tensions emerged last month amid damaging leaks that police would close the Dampier-based water police unit that patrols the North-West Shelf to meet its required cuts

Trials of the bins — that allow people to discard drugs before entering a concert without penalty — will begin at the Rock-It concert in Joondalup at the weekend.

Mr O’Callaghan pushed the experiment in response to the death of Kalamunda teenager Gemma Thoms, who took several ecstasy pills at the Big Day Out concert last month reportedly in fear police would catch her with the drugs.

“The Police Commissioner wants to trial it and he can do that, but it’s not something that I believe gives the right message,” Mr Barnett said. “Harm minimisation has been an absolute failure in the treatment of drugs in this State. I think the message has to be quite clear: don’t use drugs or take drugs to public events.”

Mr O’Callaghan said the trial was designed to avoid a repeat of the tragedy at the Big Day Out and would be subject to a full review.

He confirmed that Treasury officials were helping police with ways to cut spending and welcomed their input.

Police Minister Rob Johnson said the Treasury assistance would help ensure the Commissioner was not distracted from fighting crime and he pledged that the cuts would not affect front-line services.

Police union chief Mike Dean said he was glad Mr Barnett was taking a more active interest because it would show him how difficult it would be to find savings.

“Every proposal being put forward by the police department has been knocked back by the Government,” he said. “I think if they go down and have a look first hand they will find the majority of the cuts are not easy. They will affect front-line services.”

PETER KERR

http://www.thewest.com.au/default.aspx?MenuID=77&ContentID=128176

 

[kingpin007]

If anyone is going to this please take a photo of the bin and add it here so we can see what they look like..

thanks..

 

[Romie1092]

``The bin will be placed near the main entrance to the festival and patrons will be encouraged to use it without the threat of prosecution by police,'' Mr O'Callaghan said.

So you can rack lines up on the bin safely without being busted?

 

[lil angel15]

It would be good if they conducted tests on the discarded 'contraband' and released the results of anything that had the potential to cause considerable harm. (ie. PMA).

 

[phase_dancer]

So you can rack lines up on the bin safely without being busted?

^Interesting point. I guess they could get you for consuming a drug, but who'se to say it was your residue. You might have only been snorting acetyl carnitine

Still this is welcomed news !

 

[cudds]

Mr Barnett said. “Harm minimisation has been an absolute failure in the treatment of drugs in this State. I think the message has to be quite clear: don’t use drugs or take drugs to public events.”

what a stupid statement to make considering HM hasnt been actually pracitised.

 

[lil angel15]

^^^^^^

Moreso considering what the 'Just say no' approach has achieved.

 

[headdah]

hmm, can i be the security guard that "guards" the bin? oh please, i'm willing to guard it for freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ;D

 

[Sustanon]

This is the dumbest stupid fckin idea i have heard of this year lol

If this was in the country i lived in Europe alot of people will be watching those bins and alot of people will get bashed or stabbed for there drugs. The gypsies where i lived tried to take gear off people. I can even imagine people trying to steal the bin. It wouldnt be very hard if they know how to remove it. Just like they do when they steal ATMs by chaining it to a car and ripping it out.
And fcken oath i would try to steal it too lol

 

[kingpin007]

Yeah Sustanon I can recall someone saying in another post that a drug bin at an event in europe was stolen lol ..

But I am sure these bins will resemble something like the red metal australia post boxes where its bolted down to concrete and have a good lock on them & the police will have them monitored by some means probably by cctv.

What I want to know is will the bins at the end of the day actually contain anything ?

I am guessing these bins will be in view of the entrance and the police with their dogs will scare some people to throw stuff away but doubtful.People will not throw their drugs in the bin but will consume them or still try and get them into the event.

The price of drugs here is the main reason for this as in england throwing 5 or more pills in a bin is less than a pack of smokes but here is like throwing a brand new pair of nike shoes in the bin , it just wont happen ...

The whole world will be watching on this subject as this has made world wide news , it is a shame that it wont be successful & the police have put this into effect because of the death of the girl at the perth bdo as they feel somewhat guilty and so they should and I believe this is a publicity stunt for 60 minutes and other news media to show the police are willing to try any means thats safe and given the nod by the general public.

Where the bins were used in the uk there were no drug sniffing dogs or police to make you feel scared so the bins in place in that aspect were for your own good and choice but not to be intimidated by police to do so.

We need Decriminalization of drugs for personal use and on the spot fines & not the empty your pockets , take your shoes off , take your clothes off treatment and the rough handling by the police which always happens.

But kudos for them trying but I still say its a publicity stunt for the medias eyes and the general publics eyes to show the police actually listen and care.

 

[Sustanon]

I think they could still rip the bins out easy Hence the ATMs. In Europe where i lived there were heaps of festivals and alot of people took gear in, days if not weeks before the event and hid or burried them. It would only take one person to do that with a big amount and problem solved

 

[Bent Mk2]

Personally I think it's a brilliant idea. It won't stop people taking drugs, or trying to sneak them in, but it might stop people swallowing their load of drugs.

It'll be interesting to see how it's handled, how far past the bin for example can you get and say "you were looking for the bin" if you got caught? What if you walk to the gates from the side?

 

[mostly-human]

So you can rack lines up on the bin safely without being busted?

Wonder how big the bin is, maybe I could hop inside the bin. I'll tell them the drugs are in my blood and thus, hoping in is my only safe option.

Or maybe, the bin appears before you show tickets, so somebody not actually attending the event could arrive, pretend to put something in and really take something out and then look all pissed off about attending the event without drugs and promptly leave.

On a serious note, I guess it's not a *bad* idea. It does sort of help a little with HM, especially in the scenario outlined in the article. In that situation, the girl could have dropped just one pill and binned the others... I suppose.

I find it hard to imagine somebody actually using the bin though.. but then again, I love drugs, I'd probably sooner bin my event ticket than my drugs :/

 

[phase_dancer]

How many of you think you could get access to drive a vehicle up to a bin? Like most festivals, anyone attempting to get to this area would be stopped short, and if they ran those stops, security and police would be on them in seconds. Most events in Qld see a heavy police presence outside the gates so I'm sure the bins would be well manned.

and fwiw, I'm sure I could think of ways to firmly anchor the bins, such that you'd require a pretty big vehicle to yank it out, so with police resources I'm sure they'll think of and plan for every possibility. I know someone who installs atms for a living and he says they are a piece of piss to steal, simply because they aren't that well secured. "That's what insurance is for", he said.

Also, I would tend to think the bins will work mainly with those who have dodgy or doubtful pills. Alas, people will be reluctant to throw away pills that they know are good, so it may not be as successful as is hoped in preventing drug use, or even a repeat of what happened in Perth.

Still, even if the majority are duds, if they are to be tested, it still provides opportunity as an early warning system for dangerous substitutes and so gets my vote.

 

[expothead]

i don't think the bin will make much difference other than to give police an alibi for the use of sniffer dogs and arse coverage if/when someone dies.

 

[Amblin]

Would just like to say I would also like to see everything in the bin listed and tested for ingredients. Then published somewhere.