By Charlene Macaulay
Wyndham residents have been encouraged to disrupt the local drug trade by dobbing in dealers, crop houses and other drug crimes.
Crime Stoppers has joined forces with Wyndham Police and Wyndham council to launch the Dob in a Dealer campaign, a nation-wide program which aims to stop Australia’s supply chain of illicit drugs –including ice, cocaine, MDMA, heroin and cannabis – by getting the public to report any suspicious activity.
Wyndham is one of 18 Victorian locations to take on the campaign in coming weeks.
Crime Stoppers Victoria chief executive Erika Owens said public support was crucial to help police bust criminals and organised crime gangs responsible for the manufacturing and supplying drugs.
Cassandra Joyce from Crime Stoppers Victoria added: “Every call is absolutely confidential. We don’t trace IPs, we don’t want to know who you are, we just want to know what you know.”
Wyndham Police Inspector Marty Allison said information police receive from the community will dictate where they deploy resources.
He stressed that the campaign was aimed at targeting drug dealers, rather than users.
“Drug crime overall is a very widespread community issue. There’s no one real particular hotspot where it all occurs,” he said.
“Drug crime, or the detection of drug crime, in Wyndham has stablised over the last few years.
“We’re really focusing on the people that traffic the drugs, we really focus on those that grow cannabis inside houses, and those that manufacture the drugs, whether that be in residential houses or in the bush or in factories.
“We’re really keen to receive all types of information, no matter how small you think that information may be, it may very well be the piece of that puzzle that fits in with the bigger picture.”
Wyndham safer communities portfolio holder Kim McAliney said the Dob in a Dealer campaign could help save the life of a drug user.
To dob in a dealer, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
