DRUG DEALERS DO NOT ABIDE BY SOCIAL NICETIES

There can be no doubt about it. And drug dealers are a bigger scourge
on society, preying on the vulnerable and doing all they can to profit
from other people's misery.

Drug dealers do not abide by social niceties. They do not abide by our
laws. They do not care where they make their money or who they damage
in the process.

They are vultures feeding on a sick and addicted group of people and
will go wherever they must in pursuit of their filthy lucre, luring
addicts and turning once-pleasant neighbourhoods into anti-social
crime scenes where people are too scared to walk the streets.

If this sounds melodramatic, try visiting Liverpool in Sydney's
south-west. As an investigation in today's The Sunday Telegraph
reveals, Liverpool has been turned into "the new Cabramatta" -- a
suburb previously synonymous with a violent and criminal drug culture.

Official figures for the four years to 2004 show a seven-fold increase
in the number of narcotics offences in Liverpool, and locals and
police believe that many dealers have made the area their base after
being forced out of Cabramatta in the late 1990s. In contrast, a $19
million State Government initiative in 2001 resulted in "significant
reductions" in drug crime in Cabramatta.

The problem is further exacerbated by the fact that dealers have been
drawn to Liverpool by its eight methadone outlets -- including two
major clinics -- all of which provide methadone daily to about 800
addicts.

Without being alarmist and while acknowledging that methadone clinics
do have a positive, if limited, impact on some addicts and the
associated crime rates, it is clear that they are producing another
cause-and-effect crisis for the area.

As senior police told The Sunday Telegraph, the clinics have a "honey
pot" effect, attracting drug dealers looking for business.

The vice president of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, Sam
Cavallaro, said the past six to eight months have turned into a
nightmare for families and small businesses: "People are scared to
walk the street, especially families."

When effective policing pushed criminal elements out of Cabramatta,
they simply moved elsewhere -- including to Liverpool. It stands to
reason then that the police should have moved too, and that the State
Government should have redirected vital resources to protect residents
in Liverpool as it had done in Cabramatta.

Our police and government must have a zero tolerance approach to drugs
and must act immediately upon identifying a new crisis, not wait a few
years before launching a long overdue crackdown.

Last word WHEN the first athletes take to the track, pool and podium
on Thursday in the Melbourne Commonwealth Games, our sporting nation
will, once again, hold its breath.

The games have grabbed our attention every four years since they were
first held in Ontario, Canada in 1930, with the exception of two
during World War II. And despite some sceptics dubbing the 18th Games
the "Australian national championship", Australia's dominance does not
come with an ironclad guarantee -- except maybe in the pool with the
women's team.

In fact, with Karak, the beautiful south-eastern red-tailed black
cockatoo as its mascot, the Games will host about 4000 athletes from
more than 70 countries giving ample opportunities for athletes other
than our green and gold-clad Aussies. Let the Games begin.