AMID evidence that use and public acceptance of amphetamines is on the rise,
Swan Hill police are working on a ‘drugs forum’ to educate the community on
effects of drug use.
Drug offences rose 18.3 per cent in the latest quarterly
crime statistics, with 136 offences for the year leading up to March 31,
compared with 115 offences for the previous 12 months.
But per capita, local
drug offending was roughly on par with the rest of Victoria (360 per 100,000
population), and statistics from the 2010/2011 financial year (166 offences) and
2011/2012 (122 offences) actually show a drop in drug use in the Swan Hill
police service area.
But police have said they have evidence that use of
amphetamines and methamphetamines (often referred to as ‘speed’, ‘ecstasy’ and
‘ice’) had increased in the past few years.
For more on this story, see Friday’s edition of The Guardian (14/6/13).
