The head of Queensland’s corruption watchdog has called for a rethink in the way authorities deal with the drug problem, saying they have been targeting “low-hanging fruit”.
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Crime and Corruption Commission chairman Alan MacSporran, QC, told the regular meeting of the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee a more holistic approach was needed to target the spread of drugs in the community.
“At the moment the drug of choice is ice, and we have a whole range of measures to deal with it, but our main focus is uncovering dealers,” Mr MacSporran told the committee hearing on Friday.
“However, at the moment that approach is only scratching the surface of the problem. What we need is a more holistic approach.”
Mr MacSporran said the CCC was looking at ways to use its powers more effectively, instead of acting like a second police service.
“What makes [the CCC] unique is our special powers, things like our coercive hearing powers, we need to think about what we could be doing with that,” he said.
“Plus the proceeds of crime division [of the CCC], we need to look at how we can use the tools at our disposal, instead of targeting low-hanging fruit.”
PCCC chairman Tim Nicholls raised a note of caution, seeking clarification the CCC was still concerned about drugs on the streets.
“You’re not advocating we stop [arresting drug dealers]?” Mr Nicholls asked.
Mr MacSporran replied: “No, but need more left-field thinking.”
Currently, Mr MacSporran said, much of the work of the CCC was involved in arresting drug dealers, who were then immediately replaced by either another member of the same criminal organisation or a different criminal gang entirely.
Ice has been a major focus of Queensland police in recent years, with a number of drug rings busted, including recent busts in the Whitsundays at the start of February, and in south-west Queensland in January.
The Queensland government has also set up programs and public forums to look at ways to deal with the spread of the drug, particularly in rural and regional areas.
Mr MacSporran was also asked about the current state of outlaw motorcycle gangs in Queensland, about which he said the CCC was “not terribly concerned”.
He said there was always concern when there was a public outbreak of violence, but the CCC kept a close eye on all organised criminal activity in the state, including bikie gangs, and there was no escalation in activity.
Asked about the CCC’s overall caseload, he said it was finalising 85 per cent of its cases within 12 months, with corruption matters usually accounting for the remainder because of their complexity.
