HOWARD UNDER FIRE OVER PLANS FOR POLICE

A promise yesterday by Prime Minister John Howard to review funding for the
Australian Federal Police was met by a barrage of doubts and criticism from
NSW Premier Bob Carr, the Opposition and from the AFP Association.

Mr Howard told yesterday's opening of the 15th Asian Regional Conference of
Interpol in Canberra of his plans to appoint an independent expert to
assess the AFP's resourcing needs. The report would be made within four
months and lead to a new budget charter for the AFP. Mr Howard acknowledged
a need for extra funds for the AFP in the short term.

But Mr Carr said the Federal Government had slashed funding for law
enforcement by $110 million, $44 million of it in the last federal Budget.
"I've got increased police numbers on the streets of Sydney but there's an
avalanche of heroin and cocaine coming into this country and the Federal
Government has actually reduced spending on the interception of hard
drugs," Mr Carr said.

Some of the state's ports had no customs presence at night, which was Mr
Howard's fault, he said. The AFPA's chief executive officer, Luke
Cornelius, said the AFP was in crisis, struggling with a shortfall so far
this financial year of $18.1 million. Mr Cornelius said $9 million would
have to go on a 'corporate credit card' to be paid out of next year's
funding.

The association wanted to know when the report would lead to actual funds
for the AFP. The association had estimated last year that successive
federal governments had seriously eroded the AFP's ability to do its job,
by costing up to 750 federal agents their jobs in 10 years.

Shadow attorney-general Nick Bolkus said having an independent review of
the AFP was "a massive failure of leadership". "I challenge Mr Howard to go
and explain to the parents of the kids who are now shooting up on heroin,
taking designer drugs like ice, and dying in our streets that, after two
years of budget cuts, this is the best he can come up with," he said.

Mr Bolkus said the review was a vote of no confidence in AFP Commissioner
Mick Palmer, who was regarded as Australia's finest law-enforcement
officer.

Mr Howard told the police from 34 countries, in Interpol's 75th year, of
how 'in recent times' some Australian police services had come in for
criticism.

"Despite the misdeeds of some who have brought opprobrium on the ranks of
their colleagues I know the majority . . . are dedicated, hard working and
honest Australians . . ." he said. He applauded Mr Palmer for his
three-year appointment last year as the delegate for Asia on the 13-member
executive committee. He thanked the AFP and all Australian police officers
for the contribution they had made to maintain society and national
security. He said transnational crime was a serious issue and the
production of illicit drugs was increasingly costly, now estimated at
$US300 billion to $US500 billion ($A454 million-$A757 million) a year.

There were 634 heroin-related deaths in Australia in 1996 and illicit drugs
were now linked to 40,000 hospital bed days a year. Spending on illicit
drugs now amounted to $7 billion a year.

"More than those statistics, however, the drug problem is about real people
with broken lives and broken homes," Mr Howard said. "It's about families
who want so much to care and face terrible odds in trying to do so."