1. Drugs and Harm Minimisation
Presented by: Sarah Wardley Drug Diversion Project Officer, Drug and Alcohol Strategy Unit

2. National Drug Strategy
Since the inception of the National Campaign Against Drug Abuse in 1985, Australia has had major successes in reducing the prevalence of, and harms from, drug use. While we do not condone the use of illicit drugs and improper use of legal drugs, we recognise that it’s going to happen and the best way to reduce the harms of drugs is to control it through regulation.
Under harm minimisation:
• Smoking rates have almost halved from 1988 to 2007
• Far fewer people are using illegal drugs. The proportion of people reporting recent use of illegal drugs fell from 22 per cent in 1998 to 13.4 per cent in 2007.
• The recent use of cannabis—the most commonly used illegal drug—fell from 17.9 per cent in 1998 to 9.1 per cent in 2007.
• Disruption to supply continues to be effective. The number of illegal drug seizures increased by almost 70 per cent between 1999–2000 and 2008–09, and the collective weight of seizures increased by about 116 per cent.
• The heroin shortage that began in 2000 has been sustained, with heroin use remaining at low levels since then.
• Harms associated with injecting drug use have also been reduced. It is estimated that from 2000–2009 needle and syringe programs, which ensure the safe supply and disposal of syringes to injecting drug users, have directly averted over new HIV infections and nearly hepatitis C infections.
• Since its introduction in September 2005 non-sniffable Opal fuel has contributed to a 70 per cent reduction in petrol sniffing across 20 regional and remote communities in Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
• Early intervention and diversion programs, which help prevent young people and adults apprehended for drug use from getting caught up in the criminal justice cycle by diverting them to treatment interventions, have become an established and successful part of the harm minimisation approach.
• Drink driving has become largely unacceptable within the general Australian population. There was a substantial reduction in alcohol-related road deaths between the mid 1970s and the early 1990s through mass breath testing of drivers, lower and nationally consistent driver blood alcohol content limits, a variety of penalties and widespread education
• Far more is known about what works in the treatment of alcohol and other drug dependence, including through brief interventions, detoxification, pharmacological and psychosocial treatment approaches.
Challenges for 2010–2015
Many challenges still remain. The following have been identified as drug-specific priorities for 2010–2015:
• Risky drinking, drinking to intoxication and alcohol-related disease, injury and violence continue to cause significant harms in the community.
• Smoking rates continue to be unacceptably high in the general population—16.6 per cent smoked daily in
• Changing patterns of use of, and harms from, illegal drugs need to be continually monitored and responded to. At the time of writing in 2010, emerging trends included:
– new ‘analogue’ drugs, including meow meow and synthetic cannabis, which are often not captured by legislation, and the increase in internet sales.
– poly-drug use, particularly the use of alcohol and energy drinks.
– Pharmaceutical drug misuse.

3. National Drug Strategy 2010 – 2015
Supply Reduction
Drug Task Force
Targeted Operations
Liquor Licensing
General Duties
Multi-Agency Operations
Demand Reduction
Community Education
TAC Campaigns
Drug Diversion
Court Programs
Harm Reduction
Cannabis Cautioning
Preliminary Breath/Drug Testing
Overdose Policy
Needle & Syringe Policy
Methadone in Custody
Our work is informed by the National Drug Strategy and the Victorian Drug Strategy “ The Way Ahead” which has a focus upon harm minimisation.
There are 3 strands of harm minimisation;
Supply Reduction, Demand Reduction and Harm Reduction.
Victoria Police has a role to play in all 3 strands of the Drug Strategy.
In supply reduction, Victoria Police utilises specialist Police members to pro-actively target illicit drugs markets with an intelligence led strategy. Targetted Operations based on intelligence are used to have immediate impact upon local markets with support from normal Policing resources and other relevant agencies where required.
Liquor Licensing plays a pivotal role in controlling the amount of alcohol that is available within a given community. Research shows that the more available alcohol is in a given area the more issues around anti-social behaviour/ criminal activity are visible. Liquor Licensing looks to strike a balance by controlling the number of licenses in an area, the types of building, security of premises and the operating hours of each premise in order to reduce alcohol related harm.
General Policing duties involve the tasking of Police members, using provenanced intelligence, into specific areas or to look for specific people/vehicles linked to the illicit drug markets on a local basis. Members are encouraged to use stop and search powers where there are reasonable grounds to suspect people/vehicles may be involved/carrying illicit substances.
Demand reduction involves using non-traditional Policing tactics and working with partner agencies to reduce the harms from drugs (including alcohol). Police members are trained to communicate the harm reduction message to the public and in the work with the Transport Accident Commission (TAC) to design and utilise advertising campaigns to reduce the death/serious injury toll from drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
Diversion is covered separately in this presentation.
Diversion schemes run along side the criminal justice system and allow the Police to challenge drug using behaviour in attempt to divert people away from further involvement with the criminal justice system.
Diversion has been shown as an effective crime prevention / crime reduction tool in reducing the associated harms caused by illicit drug use.
Harm reduction is the tool for Policing to reduce the associated harms caused by the misuse of drugs and alcohol. Cannabis Cautioning is covered later in the presentation but other harm reduction tools include the use of breath and drug roadside testing of drivers utilising the ‘Booze bus’ to intercept drivers.
The Victoria Police Manual also contains a number of instructions that guide Policing activity on certain issues. Included in the Victoria Police Manual is the overdose policy, needle & syringe program policy and a methadone in custody policy.
The overdose policy specifies the Police response to reports of overdose and in particular suspected overdoses from the use of illicit substances. The aim of the policy is to encourage members of the public to contact the emergency services in the confidence that a reported overdose will not automatically mean a Police response. The Ambulance service will attend then incident and Victoria Police only become involved in fatal overdose or where there may be a history of violence to Service personnel. The outcome of this policy is the reduction in fatal overdoses recorded within Victoria.
The Needle & Syringe Policy sets out the purpose of Needle & Syringe programs and the important role they play in preventing the spread of blood borne viruses (i.e. HIV / HCV). The policy identifies that Police members should not target patrol around a functioning Needle Service Program in order to encourage injecting drug users to use the facilities. The Needle and Syringe Programs also act as a gateway to other drug treatment provisions. Police members are encouraged to develop good working relationships with the programs and encourage injecting drug users to make use of the programs and thereby reduce the risk of drug related criminal activity.
The Methadone in custody policy ensures that an existing drug treatment program (opiod replacement therapy) will continue whilst a person on such a program is in Police custody for any significant period of time. The aim of the policy is to reduce the risk of the drug user lapsing or relapsing into illicit substance use upon their release from custody.
Victorian Drug Strategy / Victorian Alcohol Action Plan / Victoria Police “The Way Ahead”

4. Victoria Police Illicit Drug Strategy

5. Drug and Alcohol Strategy Unit
Policy
Training
Drug Trends
Resources
Projects
Liaison
A unit of the Corporate Strategy and Governance Department, DASU have several functions:
Policy : - Submissions to Victorian government on law reform, using intelligence and research to identify gaps / Loopholes in current legislation and acting as the liaison points for the national drugs arena (i.e. interstate police, federal committees etc). DASU also act as the overseers to ensure a corporate response is utilised on all drug and alcohol related issues.
Training :- Separate page.
Drug Trends:- Separate page.
Resources:- Providing research, analysis, resources and publications to all Victoria Police members and external stakeholders to ensure excellence and consistency in the relation to the National and Victorian drug related strategies.
Projects:- Separate page under Diversion.
Liaison:- DASU acts as a liaison point for all Police members and external stakeholders for all drug and alcohol strategy matters.

6. Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative
Diversion away from traditional criminal justice system into treatment/education.
Two mandated assessment and treatment sessions (or one voluntary session for cannabis cautions).
A crime reduction tool.
Provides a critical opportunity to break cycles of destructive behaviour,
May lead to a reduction in drug use and high-risk drug-taking behaviour,
Improvements in social functioning and less involvement in crime related to drug use,
Decrease in the burden on the criminal justice system and the impact of crime on the community,
80% of people referred from police custody have never spoken to a treatment worker or GP before
Almost 60% of people in prison last year had been in jail before.

7. Illicit Drug Diversion Initiative
Cannabis Caution - Applies to offenders in possession of an illicit substance (other than cannabis) for personal use only who is 10-years-old or over, not involved in another offence at the time of arrest, and who has not already had two diversions.
Drug Diversion - Applies to offenders in possession of an illicit substance (other than cannabis) for personal use only who is 10-years-old or over, not involved in another offence at the time of arrest, and who has not already had two diversions.

8. Does Drug Diversion work?
% of offenders comply with diversion.
75% of offenders do not re-offend again within 18-months of a diversion.

9. Does Drug Diversion work?
Of the 25% that do, 2/3 are committing fewer offences than prior to their diversion.

10. Early Intervention Pilot Program
A national pilot program established under the Australian Government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy.
Applies to young people aged 10 – 17 who are:
intoxicated, and/or;
consuming, and/or;
in possession of alcohol in a public place.
Aims to provide a young person, encountered by the Police with:
an opportunity to avoid criminal sanctions, and
access to information, education and necessary treatment in relation to alcohol consumption.
VEIPP – Victorian Early Intervention Pilot Program
The VEIPP is being established under the Australian Government’s National Binge Drinking Strategy to enable a proactive response from Police who encounter young people aged 10 and over and under 18 years who they reasonably believe to be intoxicated by alcohol  or satisfy the requirements of an offence of possess/consume alcohol (other than private premises). The aim of VEIPP is to provide a young person, encountered by the Police as above, with an opportunity to avoid criminal sanctions by allowing them and their parent/guardian access to information, education and necessary treatment in relation to alcohol consumption, in particular circumstances that involve, or are likely to involve, binge drinking.  

11. Thank You Sarah Wardley
Phone: (+61 3) Address: Level 5, 637 Flinders St, Docklands, VIC 3008