METHAMPHETAMINE SCENE HOTS UP

The growing nationwide problem of methamphetamine production and addiction
is well-publicised, but North Shore police believe the drug is the main
cause of crime in the city. Reporter Chris Schulz investigates the link,
and what is being done about it.

Late last year, North Shore police were called to a seemingly innocuous
fire in a motel room.

What they found is becoming an increasingly regular sight.

A temporary methamphetamine production laboratory had been set up in the
small one-bedroom unit, and its occupants were preparing for a drug "cook-up".

Things turned sour when an explosion rocked neighbouring rooms and sent
smoke pouring out of the unit, leaving the inside a smouldering mess.

The occupants escaped, leaving behind paraphernalia involved with creating
methamphetamine-based drugs.

It has become a familiar scene for North Shore police, who are finding more
clandestine methamphetamine laboratories than ever before as criminals try
to take advantage of a rise in the use of party drugs.

This month police found the beginnings of a methamphetamine lab, chemicals
and flasks in a hotel unit in Northcote. That takes the total since March,
2002 to five, up from two the year before.

Methamphetamine has been around for years, but it's only during the last
couple of years that it's popularity has soared.

Names for methamphetamine-based drugs include pure, P, speed, burn, crystal
or ice.

They're usually smoked or snorted, mainly by people aged 18 to 30.

They cost between $80 and $150 for one-tenth of a gram, providing the user
with four or five "hits", each giving a high that can last for up to 10 hours.

And they're highly addictive.

Auckland Hospital deals with about one overdose every week, and a 2001
Auckland University survey found that 3.5 per cent of people questioned
admitted being current users of methamphetamine, compared to 2.2 per cent
in 1998.

It's not just the production and dealing of drugs that North Shore police
are concerned about. Addicts are also contributing to crime in the city.

Detective Senior Sergeant Gary Davey says meth "is the main driver of
crime" on the Shore.

Heavy addicts "use crime to fund their addiction", Mr Davey says.

Crimes such as house burglary and fraud are a popular way for addicts to
make money to buy drugs, he says.

"For addicts with heavy habits, crime becomes their life when they are
addicted."

While there are no statistics available for the Shore,
methamphetamine-related crimes rose 28 per cent nationwide last year.

Depending on the level of addiction, a habit can cost up to $3000 a week.

Mr Davey is also concerned about the effect methamphetamine has on people.
They become prone to committing assaults and violent crime, making them
difficult for police to deal with, he says.

The drug has been linked to several high-profile, violent crimes over the
past year.

"It does make people very violent. They're aggressive, hard to deal with
and they don't respond to calming methods."

Mr Davey says there is no single thing police can do to eliminate
methamphetamine use.

Instead, police are taking a multi-pronged approach.

Police are working with chemists to "restrict access to the precursors
required to make methamphetamine", such as flu and cold medicines
containing pseudoephedrine.

They're also working with schools to teach students about problems
associated with the drug.

"It's like all crime, it takes a variety of initiatives to help prevent it,
such as enforcement, education and awareness in schools, and making sure
people are aware how dangerous it is."