POLICE BRIEF PREMIER ON ICE WORRIES

New South Wales Premier Bob Carr has been briefed by police about concerns
over big increases of the illegal drug, ice.

The Premier says funding shortfalls affecting customs and the Australian
Federal Police are to blame.

Ice is a highly addictive and dangerous amphetamine, and while it has been
around for awhile, police say they are finding increasing amounts of it on
the street.

In a letter to the Prime Minister, Mr Carr outlines police concerns that
Federal cuts mean only 2 per cent of international flights entering Sydney
are searched for drugs.

Mr Carr says the only way to stop an avalanche of drugs getting through the
system is to restore funding to previous levels.

He says New South Wales has committed an unprecedented level of funding for
fighting drugs, and Commonwealth shortfalls cannot be justified.

Chief executive of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), Luke Cornelias,
says if the Federal Government restored the $66 million shortfall, the
burden on local police would be reduced.

"The resourcing of the fight against drugs can be compared to the analogy
of a garden hose," he said.

"At the street level, at the State level, our State police are expected to
run around chasing all the drops coming out of the sprinkler, however the
Commonwealth, by appropriately resourcing the AFP and the customs service,
has the capacity to turn off the tap."