Gladys agrees to police calls for drug bust trial amid festival deaths

People convicted of drug offences would be subjected to random police searches for up to two years without the need for a warrant, under tough new drug laws agreed to by Premier Gladys Berejiklian. INTERACTIVE: WHO GETS YOUR VOTE

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Police would be given powers to search the homes and cars of people convicted of drug offences without a warrant for up to two years under a trial to be rolled out under a Coalition government.

Described as the toughest drug laws in the country, Premier Gladys Berejiklian agreed to a police request to introduce special drug supply prohibition orders in the wake of the recent spate of drug deaths at music festivals.

The Sunday Telegraph understands police had been in talks with the State government on the introduction of a pilot following the recent space of festival drug deaths.

Under existing laws, police must obtain a warrant each time they want to conduct a search of a premises or vehicle.

Two revellers at the Defqon1 music festival at Penrith died of drug overdoses in September last year. Picture: Instagram

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The proposed pilot would allow police to conduct a court-ordered search of a person or their property for prohibited drugs, drug precursors, drug paraphernalia or equipment for drug manufacture, or other evidence of drug supply or manufacture at any time during the two-year trial period.

An application for an order would be able to be made of any person convicted of a serious drug offence, such as supply or manufacture of an indictable quantity, in the past ten years.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the orders would allow police to smash drug offenders who preyed on young people, in particular, and profit from the large-scale supply of illegal drugs in NSW.

The pilot would be rolled out across four police commands, including Bankstown, Coffs-Clarence, Hunter Valley and Orana Mid-Western police districts, she said.

Nationals Leader John Barilaro and Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Nathan Edwards

NSW Police Minister Troy Grant. Picture: Flavio Brancaleone

“I want convicted drug dealers to know that they will have nowhere to hide if they want to prey on, and profit from, the people of NSW,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“These new powers will assist our brave police men and women, including the 1500 additional police that a Liberals & Nationals Government will deliver over the next four years — the single biggest increase to the Force in more than three decades.”

Drug supply prohibition orders would initially operate as a two-year pilot program, with the Government to assess the results before determining if they should be rolled out.

Police Minister Troy Grant said the proposed orders would help police protect young people by ramping up the fight against dealers and suppliers.

“As a former police officer, I’ve seen the harsh reality of illegal drugs in our communities, and I’m confident that these orders will help our police take the fight to drug dealers, and show them that we will not tolerate having this filth on our streets,” he said.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the orders would allow police to smash drug offenders who preyed on young people.

The orders follow the Coalition pledge to establish a Special Commission of Inquiry into the drug ice.

Nationals leader John Barilaro said ice additions remained a major issue in regional NSW.

“Too often, police know who is responsible for dealing these drugs but don’t always have the capacity to shut them down — these new powers will help overcome that,” he said.

An order will ensure that police are able to specifically target convicted drug dealers who are considered likely to continue to engage in drug supply, without having to apply for multiple court warrants, helping to ensure that convicted drug dealers are held to account if they continue to engage in drug-related crime.

Originally published as Gladys agrees to police calls for drug bust trial amid festival deaths