Police 'hit list' drawn up to catch drug-using officers
Dan Oakes
March 14, 2008
SENIOR police have drawn up a hit list of officers to be drug-tested as soon as a new law is passed.
The law, expected to be passed in June, will allow Victoria Police to test employees if they have been involved in a "critical incident", such as a shooting or high-speed chase resulting in an injury, or if there is a reasonable suspicion that they have been abusing drugs.
The Assistant Commissioner of the Ethical Standards Department, Luke Cornelius, told The Age there had been an increase in the detection of police dealing and using drugs in the past 18 months. He said it was not clear whether this was due to more police abusing drugs or the result of better intelligence.
"(The Ethical Standards Department) does have a hit list. There are a number of people who will be tested, based on the credible intelligence that we currently have, as soon as we're able to," Mr Cornelius said.
"If they're found wanting, we will deal with them. Of course, if they come out with a clean bill of health, I can close the file."
Mr Cornelius would not disclose how many police were on the hit list, only saying that the list was of "sufficient size" to convince the force there was a need for targeted testing.
He said his experience with the Australian Federal Police, which tests for drugs, led him to believe that police who abused drugs would leave the force before testing was implemented.
Although the legislation gives Victoria Police the right to introduce random testing, Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon ruled that out when the law was announced in November.
Mr Cornelius described random testing as ineffective and expensive. He said in other jurisdictions it had returned positive results in fewer than 1% of cases.
"Even in an organisation where they have random testing, your chances of not being detected are still quite good, because you know you're only going to be tested every two or three years," he said.
"If we … see that there is a problem that we can't get at as a result of pursuing an intelligence-led strategy or automatically testing following a critical incident, that would be the time to consider (random testing)."
Mr Cornelius said the new testing regime would not only catch police who abused drugs but also protect officers following critical incidents.
"At coronial inquests, for example, (it may be) alleged that a member has taken drugs or had a drink, without any evidence to support that."
Under the new system, police who seek assistance will be offered an amnesty and receive treatment. Those caught through urine tests will face a professional standards assessment panel, which can recommend treatment, criminal charges and/or disciplinary action, including dismissal.
