ROW ON DRUG SQUAD CUTS

THE strength of the Victoria police drug squad had been slashed by almost
20per cent, state Opposition Leader Steve Bracks claimed yesterday.

Documents seen by the Herald Sun show the number of detectives in the squad
will be cut to 62 in a restructuring of state crime squads.

A leaked blueprint of the restructure also reveals boosting the public's
perception of safety has been the driving force behind changes to the squads.

Many specialist squads have been axed or merged into super squads in a move
police command says will give them more flexibility to attack problem
crimes and hot spots.

Mr Bracks said the changes to the drug squad meant a cut of 14 detectives
since July 1997, when the squad had 76 investigators.

But Assistant Commissioner (crime) George Davis denied 14 detectives had
been lost to the squad, saying only one chief inspector position had been
abolished.

He said six members of the squad's intelligence unit had been transferred
to a new central intelligence division and two administrative staff to a
central administration section, taking the number of the staff at the squad
to 67.

Mr Davis said the centralised intelligence area would give a better
cross-flow of intelligence, because drug offenders committed many other
crimes.

The Herald Sun revealed this year that the drug squad had just seven of its
usual complement of 11 crime analysts after a freeze on filling jobs.

Mr Davis said yesterday even if more resources were available he would not
boost drug squad numbers.

"I would put the resources wherever the problems are and at the moment the
problems are armed robberies and offences in the street," he told radio 3AW.

"That's why I created the tactical response squad. I've taken them from
other areas of the crime department and put them into that area to address
those problems."

The paper recommends the squads be bigger and their charters broadened so
they are more able to respond to public demand while meeting budget
allocations.

The restructure will be complete by September 13, with all crime squad
detectives allocated new positions by the end of the week.