Plan to tackle Victoria’s growing ice scourge

Startling revelations about Victorians’ “huge problem” with drugs have prompted police to find new ways to tackle the growing scourge in regional areas.

Australians are the second-highest consumers of ice in the world.

Specialist drug squads could be established across regional Victoria under a plan to tackle the state’s worsening ice scourge.

Chief Commissioner Shane Patton revealed the force is considering setting up dedicated drug squads in eastern and western Victoria.

The move comes amid startling revelations Australia is the second highest consumer of ice worldwide and levels of addiction in regional Victoria are rising at a rapid rate.

Mr Patton said targeting mid-tier drug traffickers would be a significant priority going forward.

“It’s a huge problem in Victoria and has been for a long time … especially in the regional areas,” he told 3AW.

“We are currently working on how we will target mid-tier traffickers (and) are looking at whether there is a need for us to create specific drug teams in the western and eastern regions so we can tackle the scourge of ice because it’s so prolific and it’s damaging so many families.”

An Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) report released on Thursday revealed the shocking extent to which Victorians are addicted to the deadly drug.

Ice use in regional Victoria spiked by 30 per cent from December 2020 to April this year, while Melbourne recorded an 11 per cent rise in the drug’s use.

The report described the nation’s addiction to ice as a “wicked problem, with the USA the only country to consume more ice than Australia.

Drugs are a significant contributor to serious crime in Victoria, including burglaries, thefts, sexual assaults and family violence.

More than a quarter of the state’s fatal crashes involve drivers or motorcyclists under the influence of drugs.

ACIC chief executive Michael Phelan said illicit drugs drive most of the harm inflicted on Australians by organised crime groups.