BY IAN CROUCH
Newcastle Police have enlisted the help of the community to help stamp out the use and possession of the drug ICE with the launch to day of the Dob In A Dealer campaign.
The Federal government provided more than $1million to Crime Stoppers Australia to run the campaign.
In NSW, 21 Local Area Commands are taking part in the campaign over a six month period from March to September this year.
During today’s launch at Waratah Police Station, Superintendent John Gralton referred to the latest data from the Bureau of Crime Statistics.
“Amphetamine use and possession in the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie areas has effectively tripled over the past 10 years, so it;s for this reason that Newcastle City Police is joining the state’s effort in launching the Dob In A Dealer campaign,” he said.
However, he said police cannot fight the scourge of ICE alone and they need community support to identify people who they can then take action against.
“In one case in Sydney, a simple anonymous call to Crime Stoppers led to the seizure of 585 kilograms of ICE and this means that 585 kilograms of ICE didn’t hit the streets and decimate families,” he said.
Anyone with information on drug dealing activities can do so anonymously and in complete confidence by calling Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Crime Stoppers Chairman Robert Forsyth and Newcastle Police Superintendent John Gralton at today’s launch. Photo Ian Crouch |