“People are increasingly coming into the station affected by drugs and amphetamines,” Manning Great Lakes crime coordinator Sergeant Ben Atkinson stated frankly.
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A recent report by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research shows that the use and possession of methamphetamines recorded by NSW Police on the Mid North Coast has increased by 30 per cent in the past five years but has remained stable for the past two. Across the Great Lakes and as far as sections of Port Stephens), possession and use increased by 16.8 per cent in five years with the rate per population listed at 121 per 100,000 in 2014.
'Methamphetamine in its crystalised form is now the most common form of methamphetamine being sold. It is generally purer than other forms so harm stemming from its use can be more severe.'
- Detective acting inspector and crime manager Natalie Stephens
This compares with 74.4 per 100,000 for a metropolitan area such as Blacktown for the same year. The two year trend for Taree was stable, with 65.5 per 100,000 for last year.
Sgt Atkinson said that the figures surrounding the actual use of amphetamines are hard to quantify as not everyone will turn up at the police station. Users will also present to the health services and many will not officially turn up anywhere at all.
Hunter New England Health did not have localised health statistics available but they confirmed they treat between 750 to 850 people a year for methamphetamine use across the entire Hunter New England Health District. This number has remained consistent over the past couple of years.
According to Sgt Atkinson, amphetamine use is a “big driver of property crime in the area” and consequently police are targeting its use in their fight against crime.
Detective acting inspector and crime manager Natalie Stephens said that the local area command has run a number of proactive operations targeting the supply of amphetamines with some significant successes. Operation Dambuster resulted in the arrest of around 10 people in the Manning Great Lakes, Newcastle and Sydney areas in relation to the supply of a commercial quantity of methamphetamine along with other drugs.
“We believe it had a significant impact on the supply of drugs in the area,” she said, adding that a recent Forster based operation resulted in the arrest of five people for the ongoing supply of methamphetamines. Drugs and $40,000 in cash were also seized.
“We’re very proud of the results that we get and the impact on the supply it has. It is particularly relevant because the sale and use of it spans the entire geography of the state,” she said.
“In smaller communities like ours the impact of ice abuse can often seem more apparent and the flow on effect of that is that people in these smaller areas have more limited access to support and treatment. Methamphetamine in its crystalised form is now the most common form of methamphetamine being sold. It is generally purer than other forms so harm stemming from its use can be more severe. There is no ingredients list. It’s highly addictive and leads to serious mental and physical problems which include violent behaviour. That’s when the police are called in to deal with it.”
Acting inspector Stephens urged the community to start talking about ice and welcomed information forums to bring it to the forefront of every parent’s mind.
“We need to talk about it. A community has far more eyes and ears on the street than we could ever could. It doesn’t matter how small or insignificant the information seems – call crime stoppers to tell us about it. It’s our job as investigators to build on it.”