CITY COUNCIL JOINS OTHER CAPITALS IN BID TO CLEAN UP NATION'S STREETS

City Drug Offensive

ADELAIDE has joined a national campaign to fight drug abuse in the
streets of our capital cities.

Adelaide City Council will form a high-powered committee to implement
anti-drug measures.

The Lord Mayor's Drugs Advisory Committee will be formed after the
city election on December 14.

It will comprise community leaders, police, city residents, ethnic
groups, health workers and businesses.

Other capital city councils are forming similar committees to create a
united front against drugs across the nation.

They will meet regularly to share information and strategies.

The Lord Mayor, Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, yesterday warned that drugs were
one or the city's biggest problems and the issue would "fester" if
immediate action was not taken to improve the situation.

Council cleaners currently remove 10 to 20 syringes from city sites
every morning.

Most are found in dark alleyways and alcoves near night-clubs and
hotels.

"We are burying our heads in the sand if we do not think a lot of
issues in the streets are related to drug abuse," Dr Lomax-Smith said.

"Adelaide is a relatively safe city, but if we ignore the problem it
will get worse."

Many crimes in the city were committed by people feeding drug habits
which were costing up to $40,000 a year, Dr Lomax-Smith said.

Alderman Roger Rowse - a taxi driver who encounters drug addicts
nearly every day - said the problem was becoming more prevalent.
"Drug abuse is the biggest single problem facing the city, definitely
bigger than alcohol," Mr Rowse said yesterday.

"People aren't robbing homes, service stations and taxi drivers so
they can buy alcohol - it is so they can buy drugs."

"It is sad to see teenagers and people in their mld-20s who are just
living for their next fix."

The Police Commissioner, Mr Mal Hyde, said police were targeting
street-level drug offences both in the city and throughout the State.

Operation Lancet has been combating drug and other offences in the
city for about 10 months, while Operation Mantle -targeting
street-level dealers - was launched last week.

"We believe we should be targeting street level heroin-dealing at this
stage and so our operation (Mantle) will be focused on that," Mr Hyde
said.

Checked-by: Patrick Henry