Police News March 05.indd - New Zealand Police Association

New Zealand Police AssociationMarch 2005Association calls for Commission ofInquiry into gangs/organised crimeThe Police Association has called for aCommission of Inquiry into organised crime.The call was made in the light of the growingtrade in methamphetamine and clear linksto organised crime within that industry. MrO’Connor said meth had turned the gangsinto powerful, well-organised criminalorganisations.Police Minister, George Hawkins originallydeclined to comment but in a jointstatement with Justice Minister, Phil Goff,later reiterated that while organised crimewas a problem around the world theydoubted whether a formal inquiry wouldadd anything to the government’s currrentknowledge of the problem. They saidthey were open to discussions with theAssociation on the issue.The statement said that the government“takes the threat of organised crime veryseriously, and we have introduced a range ofmeasures to suppress it.”Asset seizure legislationThe Ministers made reference to theimpending Proceeds of Crime Bill, whichallows for the seizure of assets of peoplebelieved to have benefitted directly orindirectly from crime. No specific criminaloffence need be proved, and once the Courtis satisfied that a case has been made forrestraining assets, the respondent then has toprove their property was legally obtained.The joint statement said that thegovernment had put “significant resources”into combating organised crime, throughadditional funding in this year’s BudgetAsian crime gangs using ‘scattergun’approach with drug couriersOrganised Asian overseas criminals withlinks to New Zealand gangs are using a‘scattergun’ approach to get ready-madecrystal methamphetamine through NewZealand’s borders.Asian crime syndicates are sending upto 10 drug couriers on one flight in theknowledge that only a certain percentage ofpassengers are subject to search. They figurethat if eight of the 10 couriers get through,then that’s a very bankable risk.But, in a sinister twist, which reflectsthe greed of drug traffickers and theexpendibility of drug couriers, Police Newshas learned organised drug syndicates aredobbing in some of their own couriers toNew Zealand authorities as soon as thecourier boards a plane in Asia bound forNew Zealand.FocusThe courier then becomes the subject ofCustoms and Police interest and the gangsQuality of rock crystal meth differs greatlyLast month Police News carried astory about a new form of crystalmethamphetamine known as rock crystalmethamphetamine, which was beingspecifically manufactured in China for theNew Zealand pipe smoking market.A source said that ‘rock’ crystal methwhich saw staff numbers increase from13to 31, at the National Interception Centre(NIC) as well as supplying a third six-personsurveillance team plus additional technicalsupport for the Auckland Metro CrimesServices Group.The Ministers cited various changes tolegislation, which they said had strengthenedthe Police’s hand in dealing with organisedcrime - including interception laws, counterterrorism legislation and changes to the lawspertaining to association with a criminalgroup.Longer sentencesJudges have now been given the power tohand out longer sentences for trafficking inmethamphetamines and there is additionallegislation in the pipeline in the upcomingMisuse of Drugs Bill, which would legislateagainst the importation of precursors such aspseudoephedrine.“The Police clan-lab teams have detected andclosed down hundreds of such laboratories,and there is some evidence now thatmanufacturing in New Zealand is in decline,”the Ministers’ statement said.But Police News sources say that this ignoresthe fact that gangs have merely movedto direct importation of ready-mademethamphetamine from overseas suppliers,as their local supply of precursors has begunto lessen for local manufacture.This is born out by the fact that Customsseizures of ready-made methamphetamineat New Zealand’s border have skyrocketed.Significant drug seizures rose by 89% (fromcontains two additional ingredientsdesigned to make it more addictivethan ‘ice’ - or methamphetaminehydrocholride, commonly known as P.However, Police News has learnedthat early shipments of product beingdelivered to New Zealand gangs are of28 in 2002 to 53 last year) while theamount of crystal meth seized by Customsincreased by an incredible 4174% (from17.5 kilograms in 2003 to 748 kilogramslast year. One million eight hundredthousand capsules of precursor productwere seized last year.Market “alive and well”One Drug Squad detective, told PoliceNews: “The methamphetamine market isalive and well. There has been an increasein imported methamphetamine but thathasn’t caused the local market to decrease.And it’s still controlled by the gangs,” he said.Assistant Commissioner Peter Marshallsaid New Zealand Police were workingwith international law enforcementagencies to combat organised crime. Hesaid Police felt the proposed asset seizurelegislation would be useful.“However, it should be remembered thatorganised crime feeds on markets fordrugs and stolen property and this is thechallenge for society as a whole, not justPolice, to address.”The Drug Squad detective, spoken to byPolice News, said that while Mr Marshallhad acknowledged the link between drugsand other crime the detective felt organisedcrime was “low focus”. “The name ofthe game for District Commanders isvolume crime but what doesn’t seem tobe getting through to some of them isthat meth is the catalyst for much of thatvolume crime,” he said. He predicted thatif Police could put more focus on breakingdown the methamphetamine industryand the involvement of organised crimein its distribution then there would be asignificant fall in volume crime as a result.reason that this may preoccupy and distractlaw encforcement authorities away fromother couriers on the same flight.This method enables the importation ofboth precursor pills and ready-made crystalmethamphetamine into the country.One detective told Police News: “Thesepeople get rich by being smart. They areclever, career criminals and they are alwayslooking ahead for another angle to beatthe system. They will go to any lengthsto distribute their product because it’s bigbusiness. Couriers are mere pawns in thetrade and are looked upon as dispensable.”fairly low quality and this is leading to agreat disparity in the value it will have inthe larger marketplace.Early batches are said to range from “quitepotent” to a form which has even lessefficacy than crystal meth being producedin clan labs in New Zealand.35