POLICE DRUGS FIGHT LOSES BITE

POLICE have been accused of going soft on street drug traffickers
before last year's state election.

The number of public events attended by sniffer dogs fell by more
than half in 2010, with the dramatic reduction helping produce a fall
in drug offences in crime data released before the November poll.

"If you cut (drug dog use) in half, you've got a big reduction in
arrests and all of a sudden your crime stats go down," a police source said.

Police conducted just 23 street screening exercises with drug dogs in
2010, down from 50 in 2009. Associated drug arrests fell from 455 to 290.

Documents obtained by the Herald Sun under Freedom of Information
laws show the biggest decline was in the region including the city
centre, where the number of street screenings fell from 22 to three,
with arrests dropping from 300 to 132.

"It seems to be a low priority which is concerning," Drug Free
Australia executive officer Jo Baxter said.

Ms Baxter said sniffer dogs were an important prevention measure,
their high visibility a strong deterrent.

The revelation comes as the Ombudsman investigates reports the Brumby
government pressured police chiefs to publish incomplete crime
figures that showed a fall in CBD violence before the election.

Police command was also criticised for not using the dog team at the
Big Day Out at Flemington in January.

Police sources said the slump in passive alert detector (PAD) dog
activities was a factor in a 2.5 per cent drop in recorded drug
offences in 2009-10.

The documents show the use of sniffer dogs in the execution of police
warrants also fell, from 501 in 2009 to 381 last year, with arrests
from these activities dropping from 333 to 242.

The fall in arrests equates to almost 70 per cent of the 373 fewer
drug crimes recorded in 2009-10.

Ms Baxter said the drop in dog use was surprising given drug use
rates were rising.

"Obviously the priorities are not there so maybe it's an unintended
consequence that they are softening as a result of that," he said.

Police Association secretary Sen-Sgt Greg Davies said without a
plausible explanation from force command people would conclude drug
dealers were no longer a police priority.

But police said there had been a spike in requests for PAD dogs late
in 2009 rather than a decline in 2010.

Assistant Commissioner Andrew Crisp said: "PAD dog operations are
intelligence-driven and already this year, a significant number of
arrests have been made."

He said the figures were comparable to 2009.