Residents of East Gippsland region are being asked to help Crime Stoppers Victoria and the Victoria Police Service to disrupt the manufacture and supply of drugs in the area by reporting anything they know about drug-dealing offences.
The Dob in a Dealer campaign, a nation-wide program funded by the Federal Government to stop Australia’ s supply chain of illicit drugs including methylamphetamine (ice), cocaine, MDMA, heroin and cannabis, was launched at the Bairnsdale Police Station last Thursday.
Inspector Mark Edwards, for the East Gippsland region of Victoria Police, reinforced the importance of community involvement when addressing the import, manufacture and supply of illicit drugs.
“Through Dob in a Dealer, we are not asking you to tell on your friends. We are asking you to support those you care about by submitting your anonymous reports through Crime Stoppers,” he said.
“East Gippsland has a tightknit community and therefore any information you have regarding the supply and distribution of illicit drugs can have a major impact on minimising this within the region.
“As local police we can’t stress how important it is for us that we have the support of the community to help us fight the scourge of drugs.
“We are going to have a concerted effort where we’d like information coming in from the public in relation to drug trafficking in our service area.
“If you know anybody in the community that’s dealing drugs, make a phone call or get online. We will follow it up and there is nothing we’ d like more than for our community to tell us about some of the parasites that are dealing poison within our community to those most vulnerable.
“We all know the pain that drugs cause in society and as police officers we get a lot of pleasure really causing some pain for these people. It is about turning the table on these parasites.”
For East Gippsland Shire Council deputy mayor, Cr John White, it was a matter close to his heart.
“This great initiative empowers our community to support their friends, family, colleagues and sporting club teammates by calling out those involved in supplying and dealing drugs,” he said.
“By stopping drugs at the source we can support residents who are vulnerable to drug use. It is important to tackle the issue of drug use together in order to protect our community.
“Council have and will continue to work with police and community organisations on campaigns such as Dob in a Dealer, Ending Violence Against Women and the Coffee with a Cop program. Together, we can make a difference.
“Very recently I lost my son, but not top drug use, but it has pushed home the point of the devastation that it can have on people. There will be families out there, like ourselves, absolutely broken, shattered by what happens. That’s why as a community we try and stamp out as much of this as we can because the circumstances that follow are things of tragedy.”
Crime Stoppers Victoria communications officer, Srithar Visuasam, reminded the public of the pivotal role they can play in circumventing the drug supply in Bairnsdale.
“Criminal drug activity is not only resulting in millions of dollars spent on healthcare and law enforcement, but it is tragically and unnecessarily costing human lives,” Srithar said.
“At Crime Stoppers, we know that information provided by the community plays an active role in solving crime, so please get behind this campaign and report what you know.
“We’ve been out to over a dozen locations in both metropolitan and regional Victoria and what’ve found is that the support of the community is pivotal in helping Victoria Police intervene in the both the supply and distribution of illicit drugs.”
If you have any information about someone who is manufacturing or dealing drugs, you can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or report online at www.crimestoppers.com.au. You can remain anonymous.
PICTURED: Crime Stoppers Victoria communications officer, Srithar Visuasam, Inspector Mark Edwards, of Victoria Police for the East Gippsland region, and East Gippsland Shire Council deputy mayor, Cr John White, were at the Bairnsdale Police Station last Thursday for the launch of the Dob in a Dealer campaign.