ESR LOOKS FOR MORE HELP WITH 'SPEED' BACKLOG

Scientists may be brought in from overseas to help cope with a worrying
backlog of forensic work relating to methamphetamine crime.

Growth in the production of the drug and police success in busting
clandestine laboratories has put huge pressure on Environmental Science and
Research (ESR), which analyses and prepares the evidence for court.

ESR has a backlog of about 75 methamphetamine cases.

Each case takes ESR about a month, from safety work at the lab site to
final analysis. The backlog means police face long delays in getting their
cases to court.

ESR will have just three scientists trained to do the analysis after an
Australian on secondment leaves this month for personal reasons.

ESR is to meet police next week to negotiate "over the revenue we can
anticipate in terms of this service we are providing to police".

A sum of $6.6 million over four years was allocated in the latest Budget
for police to counter methamphetamines.

Given the right level of resourcing, ESR expected it would be able to make
"significant progress" with the backlog.

"We might be able to bring experienced people in from overseas, or look at
fast-tracking the training of scientists or look at the way we manage our
response," ESR forensic programme manager Keith Bedford said.

"People are under considerable stress. We can only cope with a certain
amount of work."

Last year 147 clandestine methamphetamine labs were busted in New Zealand,
and so far this year police have uncovered 35.