FEARS FOR YOUNG SNIFFERS

MORE than 800 young people picked up in the city by police last year were
high on dangerous solvents such as spray paint.

The Perth police district chief, Supt Ron Carey, said yesterday 70 per cent
of the 1200 juveniles picked up by the district's juvenile aid group and
referred to Family and Children's Services last year were sniffing the paint
thinner, toluene, and spray paint.

WA Drug Abuse Strategy Office executive director Terry Murphy said accurate
figures on abuse of solvents throughout WA were difficult to get but
hundreds of children were abusing the legal solvent substances.

A joint strategy office and Office of Aboriginal Health task force has been
set up to develop a strategy to combat use of solvents in WA.

The strategy is due to be released before the end of the year.

The only survey so far shows 9 per cent of school-aged children in WA used
solvents in the past month and 23 per cent of children had tried them at
least once.

Mr Murphy said the vast majority of those children did not go on to abuse
solvents, which can cause serious brain damage and result in death.

Supt Carey said the children, who were as young as 10, behaved irrationally
after sniffing the substances usually concealed in empty drink bottles. They
committed anti-social crimes, such as assaults and disorderly conduct.

It was a problem in some remote areas of WA but local policing strategies
had had a much bigger impact in those areas. An agreement by retailers in
Midland to restrict access to paint thinners and other solvents had been
effective.

Supt Carey urged people who saw children carrying clear drink bottles to
contact police.

The State Government revealed this week that it will introduce two separate
pieces of legislation this year to try to prevent children getting hold of
the substances.

Police Minister Kevin Prince's Simple Offences Bill will target adults who
sell solvents to children knowing they will be abused.

Justice Minister Peter Foss will put a Bill to Cabinet soon for final
approval which will introduce heavy penalties, including jail, for people
who take solvent substances on to dry Aboriginal communities in the
North-West of the State.