Mixed response to crime stats from drug and alcohol groups

5.00pm

Police have received both praise and criticism from the New Zealand Drug Foundation following the release of drug and alcohol crime statistics today.

The Foundation's Executive Director Ross Bell said in a statement that while statistics showed cannabis offences had decreased 11 per cent, there was a 29 per cent increase in non-cannabis drug offences.

The increase was a result of a widely publicised increase in the manufacture and use of amphetamine.

Mr Bell said the Foundation acknowledged that police had focused on controlling the supply of the synthetic drug problem, and also their role in working to reduce the harm caused by such drugs.

While not stated in the statistics summary, the decrease in cannabis offences was most likely explained by a greater use of diversion for minor offences involving the drug, he said.

The Foundation also cited significantly reduced offences against the Sale of Liquor Act (including liquor ban breaches) as being a result of greater policing of liquor bans, but at the expense of enforcing the sale and supply of alcohol.

Mr Bell said the country was in 1999 promised greater enforcement of liquor laws to compensate for the anticipated harm from lowering the drinking age.

"This did not happen then, so it is very worrying to see limited resources being diverted elsewhere now," he said.

Meanwhile, the Alcohol Advisory Council (ALAC) is looking forward to new data showing the link between alcohol and crime.

Council Chief Executive Dr Mike MacAvoy said in a statement the data was expected to be available next year and would be a valuable tool to help lower the crime rate.

Dr MacAvoy said internationally, figures showed 50 to 70 per cent of all crime was alcohol-related and there was no reason to think it would be any different in New Zealand.

A recent survey of police charge sheets in Wellington indicated 90 per cent of violent offenders were affected by alcohol.

Dr MacAvoy said the new data would offer for the first time a clear insight into the association of alcohol with offending.

- NZPA

NZ police: crime statistics