New crime statistics confirm community fears that the ice scourge is tightening its grip on the Hunter.
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Statistics show a 59 per cent increase in possession and use of amphetamines in just two years.
The shocking data was released by the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research on Tuesday and put the Hunter Valley 19 per cent above the state increase of 40.1 per cent for charges related to amphetamine use.
Between April 2014 and March 2015 Hunter Valley police recorded 364 incidents of amphetamine use and possession, the second highest figure recorded in regional NSW.
Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, which were counted as a separate crime zone to the Hunter Valley, posted 369 incidents which took the Hunter Region to a grand total of 733 recorded amphetamine incidents.
“Ice is currently under the microscope,” Central Hunter crime manager Detective Inspector John Zdrilic said.
“All illicit drugs are a problem to the community, but certain drugs are harder to get.”
Inspector Zdrilic said drugs that can be grown or manufactured at home, such as ice and cannabis, would always be more easily available than imported drugs like cocaine.
He said he didn’t think ice use had dramatically increased in a short period of time, but instead had become increasingly reported.
The BOCSAR statistics for the previous year, from April 2013 to March 2014, recorded 229 amphetamine possession and use incidents.
“I think depending on the user, ice can have some catastrophic effects on a person and the way they behave,” Inspector Zdrilic said.
“This puts ice in the spotlight.”
In the 12 months to March 2015 the Hunter Valley recorded higher amphetamine figures than 11 of the 15 Greater Sydney crime zones.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione welcomed the results and said it was important to recognise how the report linked these increases to concentrated law enforcement.
“NSW Police will continue to work hard to tackle the scourge of illegal drugs and the detrimental impact they are having on our communities,” Commissioner Scipione said.
“We’ve seen time and time again the irreversible damage drugs have on individuals, their families and the wider community.
“We must therefore stay strong in our resolve to keep the pressure on those who choose to perpetuate this illegal trade.”
More on the Hunter’s crime statistics in Thursday’s Mercury.
