By Alesha Capone
Drug crimes have risen in Wyndham in a 12-month period, with cannabis and methylamphetamines accounting for the highest number of offences.
Between April last year and March this year, police recorded 697 drug crimes in Wyndham, compared to 648 for the previous 12 months.
Drug dealing and trafficking offences dropped (from 90 to 75 offences), but cultivating and manufacturing offences increased (from 38 to 56 offences), as did drug use and possession offences (from 520 to 566 offences).
Of the 566 drug use and possession charges there were 233 offences involving cannabis, 163 methylamphetamine offences, 69 prescription drug offences, 24 ecstasy offences, 20 amphetamines offences, 14 GHB offences, 14 heroin offences, four cocaine offences and 25 involving other types of drugs.
Wyndham Police Inspector Marty Allison said that the higher figures recognised the work police were doing to address the issue.
“Drugs such as ice continue to be a driver of other crime categories including property crime, theft, burglaries and robberies – this is often related to funding dependence on the drug,” Inspector Allison said.
“We also know that drug use, particularly ice use, contributes to high levels of harm in our community.”
Inspector Allison said Victoria Police “has zero tolerance for drug traffickers, especially those who prey on the vulnerable, such as our children”.
Last week, the Coroners Court of Victoria issued a report into the 2016 death of a 24-year-old Hoppers Crossing man, who died from the combination of drugs in his system, including heroin, benzodiazepine and others.
The report stated that the number of heroin-involved overdose deaths in Victoria had risen every year since 2012.
During the five-year period, there were 809 heroin-involved overdose deaths within Melbourne and its suburbs, including 22 fatalities in Wyndham – the 12th-highest of all Victoria’s municipalities.
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