Source: Sydney Morning Herald Contact: Pubdate: Mon, 03 Nov 97 Comment: Our newshawk writes: The following reports relating to the Prime Minister's announcement of the Government's 'Get Tough on Drugs' policies were extracted from The Sydney Morning Herald of Monday, 3rd November, 1997. Daily News PM's $87m attack on drug lords By Jodie Brough And David Humphries The Prime Minister yesterday promised a crackdown on drug bosses, unveiling an $87.5 million, threeyear strategy including tougher law enforcement, privately run treatment clinics and antidrug education for schoolchildren. The funding partly replaces budget cuts made over the last two years, with $43.8 million to be spent on reducing the supply of illicit drugs into Australia. It includes $15.5 million for the Australian Federal Police for 54 extra investigative staff, following the loss of about 100 staff in the last year. The new agents would form three "strike teams" to target drug syndicates, Mr Howard said. A further $29.8 million will be spent on rehabilitation and medical research, while a "rigorous" $14 million education campaign will teach young people they should have "zero tolerance" of drugs. Launching the package in Sydney, Mr Howard promised the threepronged strategy would be an "integrated and effective national effort" against illicit drugs. More measures would be announced later, after consultation with the premiers this week, he said. "Every parent lives in fear of the impact of drugs," Mr Howard said. "Our Tough On Drugs strategy provides moral leadership against drugs for our children's sake." Mr Howard said he knew the scheme would take time to show results but that he was "determined to discourage a whole new generation of drug users by the best means available". "From young people who have been targetted by drug dealers, to their families who have had to rebuild broken lives, illgeal drugs have a devastating effect on us all," he said. The Opposition Leader, Mr Beazley, said the Howard package was "a single step after two steps backwards", He said cuts to law enforcement, drug education and health programs were worth $225 million over the last two years. Mr Howard said $21.5 million would be spent on new nongovernment treatment facilities, to be awarded to charities and community organisations through a tender system. Priority would be given to areas with the greatest need, with offenders to be diverted from jail to treatment programs. About $4 million would be spent on research into drug treatment focused on abstinence, while an extra $1.3 million to fund nonheroin treatment trials already underway in several States. The ACT Chief Minister, Mrs Kate Carnell, whose heroin trial forced Mr Howard's response on drugs, said it was an "important first step" to draw up a national plan. Major law enforcement commitments include $7.5 million to increase Customs inspections of shipping containers in Sydney, which had been limited by budget cuts, and $7.3 million to improve computer systems. Another $6.7 million will be spent on surveillance in the Torres Strait, with a police base to be established on Thursday Island and three new highspeed Customs boats purchased. The NSW Premier, Mr Carr, expressed disappointment, saying: "After years of cutting State's programs, a last minute restoration for a publicity grabbing exercise like this will do only limited good." New strike forces to hunt cartels Mr Howard announces his $87.5 million antidrugs package in Randwick yesterday. By Greg Bearup A boost of $15.5 million dollars to the Australian Federal Police will "enhance by 400 per cent" its capacity to pursue major drug cartels, according to the AFP Commissioner, Mr Mick Palmer. Last week Mr Palmer said that his organisation only had the resources to proactively target one major drug syndicate at a time, even though it had intelligence on as many as six. Yesterday's additional funding of $15.5 million for strike forces would allow the AFP to increase the number of concurrent proactive investigations from one to four. "I think it is very positive," Mr Palmer said of Mr Howard's announcement. "It goes a long way towards giving us the capacity that we need ... aimed at enhancing our capacity to deal with proactive and longterm intelligencebased investigations beyond the level we have ever had before." The additional money would allow the recruitment of a further 54 investigators to create an additional three strike forces. He said that it was estimated that 10 per cent of drugs coming into Australia were seized and the additional resources gave a "very real chance" of doubling or trebling that figure. The strike forces would aim to "take out" the major players, he said, particularly those involved in heroin importation. In addition to the $15.5 million for the strike forces, $6.7 million will be spent to improve surveillance of the Torres Strait with increased helicopter flying hours, an established police presence on Thursday Island and the purchase of three highpowered pursuit boats for Customs. A further $7.3 million will be spent to establish a proper communication network between law enforcement agencies to exchange information. In recent years the AFP has been hit hard by budget cuts and Mr Palmer said yesterday's announcements were outside the normal budget considerations. "The wider issue of the AFP resources is being addressed quite separately and quite appropriately in other budget discussions," Mr Palmer said. Mr Howard also announced yesterday that the Australian Customs Service would get $7.5 million over three years to enhance its cargo profiling system and to buy the latest xray equipment and particle analysers. It will also receive $1.5 million for intelligence analysis. Mr Stuart Bell, from the Customs section of the Community and Public Service Union, said yesterday that he welcomed Mr Howard's announcement but said Customs had also been subjected to severe budget cuts in recent years. "It gives us some more boats and gives us some more money for analysts and extra equipment, but it does not make up for the loss of 300 people who were retrenched last year," Mr Bell said. "I welcome the statement, but obviously it has a long way to go." The Herald sought comment from the NSW Police Commissioner, Mr Peter Ryan, on the effect that Mr Howard's strategy would have in NSW. However, his office did not return the calls.