TOUGHER PENALTIES CALL

DRUG bosses and their lieutenants should receive far tougher penalties from
the courts, senior police have urged.

Police say light sentences are putting many offenders back on the street in
much less than the 25-year maximum penalty.

"When you consider trafficking carries penalties of up to 25 years, the
penalties do quite often seem to be fairly low level," Melbourne Police
Supt Tony Warren said.

"It's a bit disappointing when we can work so hard to try and clean up the
city and reduce the number of dealers and criminals hanging around.

"And then when we catch them they go to court and they're back on the
street before we can complete our paperwork."

Offences driven by drug addiction, such as begging, should also be treated
more seriously, Supt Warren said.

"That is fringing sometimes on the edge of being a straight-out robbery,
and it doesn't seem to be seen as a serious offence by magistrates," he said.

"I don't think they're in touch with the public in that area."

Acting drug squad chief Det-Insp. Chris Notman said police would continue
to focus on the production and supply of narcotics.

"That's why our focus is certainly not on the users," he said.

Det-Insp. Notman said many in the force thought penalties for traffickers
were not heavy enough.

"We would like to see tougher penalties for the mid to upper echelon of
drug trafficking," he said.

"It's a long maximum available but a very good sentence is six to eight
years. And that happens from time to time but it's very rarely that amount
of time."

Criminologists and welfare workers said tougher sentences would not help
win the war on heroin.

They argued jail terms for addicted street dealers only provided an
education in crime, while access to drugs continued behind bars. And
dealers were quickly replaced.

Criminologist Professor Arie Freiberg said: "What you've got in jail is the
people who are seriously addicted and they're not going to be amenable to
the so-called messages sent out by the court."

Police and a victims' support group backed the concept of special jails
where addicted offenders were forced to dry out and helped to rehabilitate.

Solicitor and Victims of Crime Assistance League president Mel Barnett
said: "There comes a time when they have to be put into an institution
which will help them rather than expecting them to help themselves."