Record levels of ice use in police detainees
Fear of ice users being violent is emerging as a barrier to treatment by health care professionals, as record numbers of ice-affected detainees flood the police system.
By LUKE MORTIMER,
mojo editor
Fear and anxiety among health workers treating ice addicts with violent criminal histories is emerging as a barrier to meeting the rapidly increasing demand to treat prisoners, an industry leader warns.
Larry Pierce, CEO of the Network of Alcohol and other Drug Agencies, said his organisation was pouring resources into helping health workers overcome a fear of treating ice users.
“There’s a lot of fear and anxiety in drug treatment centres about working with clients directly from prison,” he said.
“We are trying to reduce discrimination and overblown fears people coming directly from prison may face when they go into a voluntary treatment program.”
A record 34 per cent of police detainees tested positive to ice in 2013-14, an 11 percentage point spike on the previous two years, according to an Australian Institute of Criminology report released August 23.
More than 86 per cent of detainees who participated in the study tested positive to a drug, and 36 per cent had used multiple drugs.
Chart: Drug use in police detainees
Click here to see further charts on drug use and crime
Flinders University Professor Nicole Lee said targeted policing, rising rates of ice use in low socio-economic communities, and maturing addictions that are more costly were behind the spike.
“If you focus on something and you get better at identifying people who are ice users, you’re going to see more of them in detention,” she said.
“People who are currently using, they’re using more and they’re using more potent forms.
“Police are recording increases in multiple break-ins in a night by a single person, because people have got a lot of energy and they’re awake all night.”
Chart: Drug users' most serious crimes
Click here to see further charts on drug use and crimes
Ice use in offenders whose most serious offence was a property crime rose to 48 per cent in 2013-14, a 17 percentage point increase on 2011-12.
Ice users whose most serious offence was violence increased 11 percentage points to 31 per cent.
“There is a clear link between the regular use of ice and an increase in violence and aggression,” Prof Lee said.
But Mr Pierce said his organisation was trying to convince health workers that ice users were not more violent than other drug users.
“It’s an association of that restless behaviour with ice that gives rise to a common perception now that, ‘oh, this is a terrible drug that turns everybody into axe-wielding, homicidal maniacs’,” he said.
“A good, skilled alcohol and drug service with well-trained staff can deal with ice users.
“This whole notion that ice is the worst and most dangerous drug we’ve ever had to face is bullshit, really.”
Proportionately, violent offenders are more likely to test positive to cannabis at 26.6 per cent, well ahead of benzodiazepine users at 23.6 per cent and ice users at 20.7 per cent.
Critics take aim at calls for mandatory treatment
Jacinta Pollard, the managing director of Caraniche – an organisation that provides drug treatment to prisoners – said there was no evidence supporting Senator Jacqui Lambie’s proposal to lock up ice users for detox.
“There’s no evidence that if someone forces someone into treatment that it’s effective,” she said.
“You can’t have family members saying, ‘well we don’t like your drug use – we’re putting you into mandatory treatment’.
“There’s got to be a trigger point.
“When you take away someone’s freedom and you lock them up, it’s a very serious thing.”
She said coercing offenders into treatment through court diversion programs provided a drug user with an incentive to avoid prison or earn parole.
But the Federal Government was overspending on graphic ice campaigns, Mr Pierce said, while diversion programs were underfunded.
“You’re not going to get much of a change at all from short-lived, expensive cinema and television advertising,” he said.
“It makes the Government look like it’s doing something and it certainly raises awareness. In a lot of cases it raises unreasonable amounts of fear and concern in the community.
“I don’t think it’s a good spend.”
