Pot a druggie - police appeal

[Guest Urbanhog]

The Press - Christchurch/Marlborough, NZ

Edition 1WED 27 NOV 2002, Page 004

 

Pot a druggie - police appeal

 

With the arrival of the cannabis-growing season, Blenheim Police are warning rural communities to watch their electric fences, irrigation equipment, and four- wheel motorbikes .

 

"I'd like to remind the public that cannabis-growing season is well under way in our district," Senior Constable Dave Porter said.

 

Mr Porter said police were actively seeking community assistance to help combat cannabis cultivation in the region.

 

He said every piece of information relayed to them, anonymously, by phone, email, or letter would be welcomed and treated confidentially.

 

Police have seized 400 immature cannabis plants from rural and residential properties in the last couple of months.

 

He said the season usually lasts from early September until the end of March with the weather during this time seen as providing ideal growing conditions.

 

Mr Porter says that rural communities need to be more vigilant because in previous years police had noticed an increase in the theft of electric fence units, irrigation, and four-wheel motorbikes.

 

"We also get an increase in the frequency of trespassers on private property. These people have no qualms about growing cannabis on other people's land."

He said commercial drug activity is often a branch of organised criminal groups or gangs.

 

"Most of us pay tax on our incomes. These groups of people don't pay tax. I am afraid funding of these groups through the sale of illicit drugs will always be present."

 

Police and the community needed to continue with efforts to keep the problem under control with the resources available.

 

He said that while it was a community problem nationally, Marlborough was lucky that drug use was not as prevalent in its schools as it was in some other parts of the country.

 

Recently, he said, Southland police dealt with six children as young as 11 who had brought bags of cannabis to school.

 

Marlborough was an excellent area to bring up a young family, Mr Porter said.

 

"I still believe this. It's a simple message really -- let's keep Marlborough that way.

 

"The way we want it not the way some sections of society would have it," he said.

 

Source: The Press - Christchurch/Marlborough, NZ

[Tom]

Didn't some Aussie cop come out with something similar last year? I think it may have been in NSW.