Victorian drug dealers: Council areas with most dealing crime
The state’s biggest nightclub hotspot has the most drug dealing and use offences, it can be revealed, with several suburban and regional council areas also emerging as hotspots. SEE THE FULL LIST
Albury Wodonga
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The state’s biggest nightclub district is awash with drug dealers and users, a Leader investigation has revealed.
The latest Crime Statistics Agency data in the year to March reveals Melbourne’s CBD as having the state’s most drug dealing and trafficking offences at 164, Yarra (Richmond, 125) came in second, while Wangaratta (116), came in third.
Other suburbs that made the top 10 include Mildura and Port Phillip (St Kilda, 72), Knox (Boronia, 66), Warrnambool (63), Melbourne (Southbank) (60), Greater Dandenong (Dandenong, 53) and Greater Shepparton (50).
Melbourne’s CBD had a whopping 1131 drug use and possession offences, while Greater Dandenong had 532 and Frankston (475).
It comes as furious residents have complained for months about the controversial North Richmond supervised injecting room.
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Last month, drug users were seen injecting in the streets at all hours and were failing to wear masks or abide by social distancing measures.
In February, nearby traders also called for the injecting room to be shut down, saying it attracted more dealers and users, making the neighbourhood a virtual no-go zone for visitors, diners and shoppers.
In July, a plan to build the state’s second safe injecting room near the Queen Victoria Market was rejected by the City of Melbourne who said community distress about the project was rising.
In Greater Dandenong, frustrated business owners on McCrae St regularly film the confronting scenes occurring daily outside their stores.
One disturbing video showed a man huddled in a laneway next to the shops injecting drugs.
But Melbourne University alcohol and drug policy expert Associate Professor John Fitzgerald said injecting rooms had played a very important part in “saving lives”.
“We need to think carefully and thoughtfully on the next stage and we’ve got an opportunity to do some really good work,” Assoc Prof Fitzgerald said.
He said dealers had adapted to peddling drugs in the pandemic.
“Just as we’re adapting, so are the drug markets under COVID-19 and this is occurring all around the world, don’t think for an instance that the drug market has gone asleep.”
A Victoria Police spokesman said while drug use in the Victorian community continued to be a significant concern for police, both in rural and metropolitan areas, an increase in the detection of offences such as drug use and possession was actually considered a positive result.
“With more police in the community than ever before, Victoria Police has the resources to detect criminal offences such as drug use and possession, which may have previously gone undetected and this is reflected in the statistics,” the spokesman said.
“It is also important to remember the postcodes attached to each offence are where the offence is detected and not where the offender resides, while a number of postcodes with higher numbers of drug-related offences also have a significant number of licensed premises.”
The spokesman said police were committed to the pillars of drug harm minimisation – those being prevention, treatment, reducing harm and reducing supply.
“Victoria Police has zero tolerance for drug traffickers, especially those who prey on the vulnerable. In order to drive down the harm caused by drugs in our communities.
“This includes work on a localised level with Divisional Response Units and Crime Investigation Units, right up to the state and international level with Victoria Police’s Drug Taskforce and the Melbourne-based Joint Organised Crime Task Force (JOCTF) led by the AFP and including Victoria Police, Australian Border Force and the Australian Crime Intelligence Commission.”
He said coronavirus restrictions had also meant police were more readily able to identify suspicious or illegal activity in the community, leading to detections of drug related offending on Victoria’s streets.
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Originally published as Victorian drug dealers: Council areas with most dealing crime