Friday 1 April 2011

Drugs and Gaol

A few newspapers ran the story about new sentencing guidelines for drug dealers. Apparently, if you have only got up to 50 deals of heroin or a kilo of cannabis then in future you will be viewed as a small time dealer and are likely to receive a community punishment rather than prison.

The same day this story broke, my officers began to report that all the local drug dealers and runners are cock a hoop about this. The only concern they have in their wasted lives is getting caught with drugs and going to gaol. A community penalty is no penalty in their eyes and they can now continue wasting their lives secure in the knowledge that their liberty is not at risk.

It appears to me that the police are the only criminal justice agency left that actually gives a damn about crime and consequences. I hear more and more officers expressing the view that we should not bother any more. I countermand that view but wonder how it is being reflected on the front line. I do believe that these sentencing guidelines will encourage more people to become involved in unlawful drug supply and all the negative consequences that brings to our society.

7 comments:

  1. im from america... gaol=jail?

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  2. Absolutely right - this government is really flaky and dealing will shoot up (forgive the pun)....

    zorro

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  3. Hello America! Yes gaol is the alternative old English way of spelling jail. Lex

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  4. Apart from Mr Mackie (Drugs r' bad M'kay?) are we the only ones who get it?

    WTF are the Government thinking? Many forces (mine included) don't really concentrate on drug crime as it detracts from the effort against Serious Acquisitive Crime (SAC) and Violent Crime (VC). Too many decision makers have lost the plot and fail to remember the link between drug use and SAC/ VC.

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  5. does this mean i can start selling cannabis to select people.. you know, respocibly and legally. declaring myself self-employed and legally declaring my earnings and being taxed.
    with maybe some time cleaning streets or doing volenteer work as a punishment?
    sounds good to me... could do with a job.

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