AFP’s unanswered questions on Colombia drugs taskforce spark concerns – ABC News
The news that the Australian Federal Police refuses to provide budgetary information to the
Federal Parliament on their drug related work in Colombia should come as no surprise.
Trying to discover just how much of Australian taxpayer funds are being spent on a myriad of
drug related programs conducted by law enforcement, especially state and territory police is
nigh impossible.
Despite health-related drug programs regularly being scrutinised and evaluated for their
return on investment or effectiveness, this is seemingly not acceptable for law enforcement
programs.
Try and find out how much is spent on sniffer dogs and strip searching – The Use of Strip
Searches & Drug Dogs in NSW Report – Harm Reduction Australia – no answer, despite
questions from the NSW Parliament
What about the cost of implementing roadside mobile drug testing or even a breakdown of
results, especially false positives given the penalties involved – Reform for Roadside Drug
Testing in NSW – Harm Reduction Australia – again, no answers despite repeated questions
from the NSW Parliament.
This is not just a Federal and NSW law enforcement problem; it is a nation-wide problem
affecting every jurisdiction.
Law enforcement spending and outcomes data continues to remain hidden from any
scrutiny.
We know the information is there given that when a particular media narrative is needed,
selective information mysteriously appears in the mainstream media. Usually in the form of
regurgitated media releases with no real analysis, like we see with National Wastewater
Monitoring reports – National Wastewater Drug Monitoring… Through a Harm Reduction
Lens – Harm Reduction Australia – just a blind acceptance from the journalists involved.
Perhaps law enforcement drug related programs are highly cost-effective, or perhaps they
are a terrible investment – either way we are entitled to know how these enormous level of
public funds are spent each year and what they provide for the people paying the bills.
Author:
Gino Vumbaca
President
Harm Reduction Australia