LIBS, ALP LAY DOWN THE LAW

MYRIAD law-and-order policies were released yesterday by the main
parties in the lead-up to Saturday's NSW election, including $136
million for drug rehabilitation and a terrorism training facility for
police.

Opposition Leader Kerry Chikarovski pledged drug-free prisons in which
criminals would undergo mandatory daily drug tests and prison officers
would be screened in an attempt to stop smuggling.

The Coalition's drug rehabilitation package included reserving some
prisons specifically for criminals to kick their drug habits, along
with activities to "relieve the boredom that encourages drug abuse".

Under a Coalition government, $34 million a year would be spent on
drug treatment programs, which would provide an extra 4000 residential
rehabilitation beds or 27,000 outpatient treatments such as those
operated by the Salvation Army.

Mrs Chikarovski also flagged a curtailing of the State's methadone
programs as well as a review of all needle-exchange programs.

The policies came as Opposition police spokesman Andrew Tink seized on
an Australian Institute of Criminology report showing NSW had three
times as many armed robberies as Victoria.

"(AIC head Adam) Graycar's figures strongly indicate that NSW crime
rates are now so bad they are blowing out the overall Australian crime
rates beyond US levels," Mr Tink said.

He also attacked Premier Bob Carr over his announcement yesterday of
plans to hand capsicum spray and extendable batons to all police
officers, saying the proposal was released last year.

Mr Carr also announced $450,000 to be spent on a facility at Goulburn
Police Academy to train police in dealing with sieges and terrorist
incidents.

The NSW Police Association applauded the Government's initiatives, but
said it would not back either of the major parties in the lead-up to
polling day.

The law-and-order debate came as research yesterday showed violence
throughout society had declined.

"Although there is a widespread belief that violence in society is
increasing, it is now well established from a number of authoritative
reviews of the evidence that, over the longer term, this is largely
untrue," said David Indermaur, of the University of Western
Australia's crime research centre.