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National Leadership Forum on Ice – Compendium of Jurisdictional Achievements (3)

   

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Australian Government

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) aims to disrupt transnational syndicates offshore to ensure illicit drugs are seized at the earliest opportunity and with the greatest law enforcement impact. The AFP has an extensive network of out-posted AFP Liaison Officers in 28 countries and collaborates with international partners through a range of mechanisms. This includes the activities of the Law Enforcement Co-operation Program (LECP), which focuses on building partnerships with overseas law enforcement agencies, and the provision of precursor and clandestine laboratory investigative assistance to international police agencies. The AFP has also signed MoUs on Combating Transnational Crime and Enhancing Cooperation with various international law enforcement agencies.

Customs uses its network of international representatives to progress policy and operational initiatives in relation to ATS and their precursors. Australia has in place bilateral agreements with a number of overseas Customs administrations to enhance the exchange of information related to Customs activities including ATS-related matters. Customs provided illicit drug and explosive precursor detection and handling training to Indonesia Customs in 2005 and other law enforcement agencies in Malaysia and Philippines during 2006.

Customs has delivered a number of domestic training courses to prepare its officers to detect and handle precursor chemicals and equipment imported for use in illicit drug manufacturing.

Project PRISM is an international project aimed at preventing the diversion of chemical precursors used in the manufacture of ATS. The International Narcotics Control Board of the United Nations coordinates the project and Customs is the central national authority for Australia’s participation. Customs is also a member of the Project PRISM Task Force, the governing body of the Project. In this capacity, Customs acts as the regional focal point for Oceania.

South Pacific Precursor Control Forum (SPPCF) – was initiated by Australia in 2007. It aims to contribute to preventing the manufacture of ATS and the diversion of precursor chemicals into illicit drug manufacture in the Pacific region. Eight of the ten member countries met at the inaugural forum in Sydney on 28 February – 1 March 2007. They worked to establish Terms of Reference and a draft Work Program for addressing ATS and precursors in the Pacific. The forum considered a range of ATS and precursor awareness-raising, regulatory, legislative, law enforcement and capacity-building issues relevant to the region. Members agreed to examine their existing precursor regulations as well as investigate their capacity for information sharing, forensic capability, technical assistance, public awareness and education. In the long term, it was agreed that the SPPCF should develop a Regional Strategic Plan to respond to ATS and precursor control.

Asian Collaborative Group on Local Precursor Control (ACoG) - was established in 2006. It aims to complement existing law enforcement initiatives in the region by focusing on best practice regulatory, administrative and legislative policies to prevent precursor diversion within national borders. This recognises that for legitimate chemicals to enter the illicit market, diversion needs to take place either within international or domestic trade. Other activities are focused on international trade. The 16 member countries gathered for the second meeting of this Group in Tokyo in February 2007 and adopted a work program and action plan. The UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs adopted a resolution in March 2007 recognising the establishment of ACoG, its value to the region, and the need for other regions to consider adoption of similar mechanisms to deal with local precursor controls.

National Strategy to Prevent the Diversion of Precursor Chemicals into Illicit Drug Manufacture (National Precursor Strategy) – funded and chaired by the Commonwealth Government, the National Precursor Strategy contributes to the supply reduction strategic priority of the National Illicit Drug Strategy by stopping legitimately available chemicals being used to make illicit synthetic drugs.

The National Working Group on the Prevention of the Diversion of Precursor Chemicals (National Precursor Working Group) was established by the Australian Government to assist in the development and implementation of the National Strategy.

The law enforcement component of the Amphetamine-Type Stimulants package comprises the following measures at total funding of $37.9 million over four years:

• The Australian Crime Commission's Response to the Production and Distribution of Amphetamines and Other Synthetic Drugs measure will improve illicit drugs information and intelligence, and investigate organised crime drug distribution networks and methodologies to assist in mitigating the risk of emerging illicit drug trends at a cost of $20 million.

• The Australian Crime Commission's National Illicit Drug Strategy: Enhanced Technical Capability (Additional Funding) measure will enhance capacity for telecommunication and data interception capacity, which will assist the targeting and disruption of serious and organised criminal groups and individuals involved in the manufacture, importation and distribution of illicit drugs at a cost of $4.3 million.

• The Australian Federal Police's Amphetamine-Type Stimulants Enhanced Investigative Capacity measure will enhance the Australian Federal Police's capacity to pursue amphetamine-type stimulants investigation work by establishing a team with the skills, training, capacity and equipment to be rapidly deployed anywhere in Australia or the Asia Pacific region at short notice to investigate significant amphetamine-type stimulant-related offences, at a cost of $5.9 million.

• The Australian Federal Police's Expansion of the International Liaison Officer Network measure will increase the flow of criminal intelligence and the number of joint operations with foreign police agencies concerning the production and trafficking of amphetamine-type stimulants, at a cost of $4.5 million.

• Customs’ Expansion of Reference Spectral Libraries, Upgrade of Spectroscopic Detection Fleet, and Installation of Portable Fumehoods at Container Examination Facilities measure will enhance detection of methamphetamine, other synthetic drugs and their precursors at the Australian border at a cost of $1.3 million.

• The Australian Institute of Criminology’s Drug Use Monitoring in Australia Expansion measure will add two new sites to collect data from police detainees in Melbourne and Darwin to further improve the Government’s evidence base and understanding of amphetamine-type stimulants markets, offenders’ use and treatment needs, at a cost of $1.9 million.

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New Zealand

Development of a wider protocol with the Pharmacy Council of New Zealand governing the sale of over the counter pseudoephedrine bearing medicines is being undertaken with a likely implementation date for late 2007. In addition the New Zealand Police are interested in replicating the Australian Project STOP protocols in terms of further enhancing domestic controls over pseudoephedrine.

The New Zealand Police cooperate with a wide range of international law enforcement agencies in terms of the exchange of information and intelligence on transnational criminal syndicates engaged in the trafficking of methamphetamine and precursor chemicals.

The New Zealand Police are represented at, and contribute to, a wide range of key international forums including the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs, the Heads of National Law Enforcement Agency Meeting (HONLEA), the International Drug Enforcement Conference (IDEC) Far East Working Group, the Transnational Targeting Network (TTN), Australian National Chemical Diversion Congress, the Asian Collaborative Group on Local Precursor Control and the 1st Australasian Amphetamine Conference.

South Australia

Operations COVER and COPARTNER - SAPOL has been working in partnership with the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Customs Service to disrupt the importation of pseudoephedrine and its use in the manufacture of methamphetamine in South Australia.

Tasmania

Tasmania Police has established partnerships with transport operators to raise awareness, detect and disrupt the importation of precursors and controlled drugs into Tasmania.

Page currency, Latest update: 16 May, 2007