Police Fear It's Open Slather For Dealers, As ... DRUG SQUAD AXED

Illawarra drug dealers would be free to ply their lethal trade without fear
of arrest after the abolition of a specialist police unit, officers said
last night.

The Wollongong District Drug Unit was disbanded by senior officers who
denied the move signalled they were going soft on drugs.

But police sources claimed senior Wollongong officers were not seriously
interested in fighting drugs as they were obsessed with paperwork and
statistics.

They said the lack of support from superiors meant Wollongong detectives no
longer were interested in pursuing drug dealers.

The move was evidence that high-level cops had lost sight of the bigger
picture and were only motivated by arrest rates, one source said.

"If police don't target the drug suppliers there will be more users on the
streets committing more property crime than ever before," the source said.

"When a drug supplier is arrested they want to see an immediate drop in
reported crime but it doesn't work like that."

"The unit might not immediately stop the problem but at least it is
stopping it from getting worse. This is definitely a free for suppliers."

The drug unit's six officers formerly based at Wollongong now were attached
to Operation Lumsden, an intense anti-theft squad involving Wollongong
plain-clothes detectives.

The officers were told late last week they would stay with Operation
Lumsden until it was wound up. They then would become general detectives.

Wollongong Lord Mayor David Campbell last night criticised the move which
he described as a disastrous. "The notion that there are not dedicated
police resources to chase the scourge of drug dealers is laughable." Cr
Campbell said.

"Drugs are clearly the root of so many problems in the Illawarra. They are
the root of theft, the root of the little hold-ups that happen around the
city."

Wollongong Inspector Peter Lincoln scoffed at suggestions senior police
weren't interested in fighting drugs.

He said police were simply regrouping to throw all available resources at
all areas of crime.

"There's no way we've forgotten about drugs," he said. "We have a number
of things in place that are hurting Wollongong crime-wise."

"(Superintendent Jim) Baillie wants to look at all crime and use all our
resources in a big way. I think Wollongong will soon see the results of
this combined effort."

Checked-by: Richard Lake