Cocaine use on the rise in Australia

Cocaine use on the rise in Australia
September 8, 2010
By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD

The number of cocaine abuse related arrests has risen in Sydney's CBD and an increasing number of users of the drug are being treated in hospitals. According to the latest NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures arrests for possession and use of the drug have risen by 76.6 per cent in the past two years. In the first six months of this year 412 people were caught with cocaine in NSW - one more arrest than was made in all of 2008. Almost 100 people were caught with the drug in January alone. Five years ago police made 223 arrests in an entire year. Arrests for narcotics use and possession increased by 11.9 per cent over the same period.

This rise is attributed to increased law enforcement, but the bureau director, Don Weatherburn, said figures from hospital emergency departments also indicated an increase in the number of patients being treated for overdoses. Dr Weatherburn said, "The reason we know that it's not just a case of increased police activity is that overdoses on cocaine and overdoses on narcotics are going up and they have nothing to do with police activity… It's simply disingenuous to say this is nothing more than an increase in police activity." He said while the number of arrests for narcotics remained well down from the peak of 350 in one month in the late 1990s, the figure had been "creeping up" over the past two years.

According to the NSW Police Commissioner, Andrew Scipione the rise in drug crime means there is increasing interception on venues where drug use was suspected such as concerts, parties and hotels.

NSW Police Minister Michael Daley said the sharp rise in drug use, particularly cocaine, was a reflection of stronger law enforcement. He said, "Whilst we can speculate about the use of cocaine ... what we do know is that increased incidents of police vigilance and police work are having a marked effect on the amounts of cocaine and the incidents of cocaine apprehension." Mr Daley welcomed the positive outcomes in the report, saying some major crime had fallen as a result of a bigger police force and increased productivity.

According to Premier Kristina Keneally, "We have built up in this state with laws, equipment and conditions, the best-equipped the most professional police force in the country and one of the best police forces in the world." However, opposition police spokesman Mike Gallacher believes that this report reflects rise in drug abuse and sexual assaults that needed to be addressed.

Overall fall in crime rates

According to the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research figures there is a significant reduction in incidents of domestic violence related assault, break and enter and retail premises, and malicious damage to property. The instances of domestic violence related assaults fell by 29.7 per cent (from 172 to 121). Break and enter offences on retail premises dropped by 32.4 per cent (from 309 to 171), more than double the state wide reduction of 15.3 per cent. The incidents of people maliciously damaging property in the area fell from 806 to 647 over the 24-month period, a reduction of 19.7 per cent - more than double the NSW average of 9.7 per cent.

Inspector Murray Gillett said Clarence police were working hard to achieve a continual reduction of all crimes across the Valley. He said, "These statistics are a result of a collaborative approach between the community and the police. This is the result of some sustained, prolonged direct targeting of offenders using specific strategies that have been tried and proven successful."