WAGGA children could be under pressure to commit crimes by drug-addicted adults, the city’s top cop has said.
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The comments come ahead of a forum being held next week to address how the city can fight the growing scourge of the life-destroying drug.
Wagga Police Commander, Superintendent Bob Noble, said “more than half” of all the city’s crime could be connected to the drug ice.
“There is a lot of people ending up before the court on drug charges,” he said.
“I can tell you, ice is just about the most prevalent and is certainly the most prevalent thing we come across.”
More concerning was a possible link between crime by children and addicted adults.
“Sometimes the kids, they are at the coalface there,” Superintendent Noble said.
“They are being used by older persons to go and steal, so they can go service a habit.”
Former Riverina MP and Australian National Council on Drugs chair Kay Hull said addressing ice addiction needed a less court based approach for those busted by police for possession.
Instead, there should be a three-strike system with drug education at the first two possessions, and then a mandated rehab the third time, Mrs Hull said. ‘
But despite advocating for a less legal approach to addiction, Mrs Hull said she not believe the introduction of an ice smoking room would curb addiction.
“I am not a supporter of an ice smoking room under any circumstances,” Mrs Hull said. “It’s not reducing, it is allowing you to use in that room with no associated referral programs … who is responsible when that person goes out and is awake four days and nights causing havoc in the community?”
One Riverina drug user, who asked to known as Alan, attributed the spike in ice use to a fall in price.
Ice was now half the price it was six months ago, he said.
But Superintendent Noble said it was common for prices to fluctuate.
The squeeze probably did go on at the second half of last year because we did lock up 60 people for dealing so it certainly put the clamps on the supply of it,” he said.
“But for every dealer you put inside, eventually they may well be replaced by someone wanting to deal some stuff.”
