DO YOU KNOW A CANNABIS GROWER?

Rotorua's rural residents are being urged to dob in drug growers as
cannabis cultivators tend to their crops during the coming weeks.

Detective Karin Isaacson, a member of the police's organised crime
team based at the Rotorua police station, has sent out 3000 fliers to
people on the rural delivery mail system, hoping locals will offer
information to catch cannabis growers.

It is the first time in several years Rotorua police have an officer
dedicated to trying to catch cannabis growers.

Although figures show the rate of cannabis-related convictions has
dropped dramatically during the past 10 years, Ms Isaacson said
police were still keen to put drug growers behind bars.

Specialised drug squads haven't been part of the Rotorua police for
about a decade, but squads have continued to carry out drug
operations, which have also had to focus on methamphetamine in recent years.

Ms Isaacson said her new role meant she could proactively catch
growers which would often lead to finding other criminals, involved
in burglaries and receiving stolen property.

Cannabis is usually planted before Christmas and during January
growers tend to their crops which means there can be an increase in
"undesirables" in rural areas.

"This is when we get a lot of suspicious vehicles. They burgle
farmers, they steal petrol, stakes and motorbikes," Ms Isaacson said.

"Farmers might see and hear things and don't know who to report it to
and how to do it."

She said the fliers, sent to areas including Kaharoa, Reporoa,
Rerewhakaaitu, Waikite Valley and Mamaku, were an initiative to get
the community involved in reporting crime.

A cannabis user, who didn't want to be identified, told the Daily
Post there was traditionally a shortage of cannabis at this time of
year before new crops were picked.

However, she said the shortage seemed bigger this year.

Ms Isaacson said that could be a result of drug growers trying to
deal in methamphetamine instead of cannabis. "Or maybe we have got a
couple of good [indoor] cultivators ... Who knows.

"But we do know that growers are still out there and tinny houses are
still operating."

Statistics New Zealand figures show conviction rates for cannabis
dealers are less than a third of what they were 10 years ago. There
were 147 dealers convicted in Rotorua in 1996, 126 in 1997 and 137 in
1998 compared with 64 in 2004, 66 in 2005 and only 41 in 2006. The
conviction rates for Rotorua cannabis users have also dropped, from
218 in 1993, 198 in 1994 and 156 in 1995 to 60 in 2004, 54 in 2005
and 72 in 2006.