Owner protests as cops brand first drug house

[boulder]

Owner protests as cops brand first drug house

By EDITH BEVIN

December 13, 2002

 

The owner of the Territory's first drug house said last night she was being

punished even though she had not committed a crime.

 

Dianne Burnett, 37, said she was being made to pay for the actions of her drug-dealing tenants.

 

"I've done nothing wrong," she told the Northern Territory News.

 

Iridescent green notices were put up on all entrances at 20 Spencer St at Alice Springs yesterday.

 

The signs were erected by Superintendent Colleen Gwynne and Acting Senior Sergeant Dave Proctor of Alice Springs police.

 

The declaration followed a court order and the issuing of three warnings by police.

 

Police raided the house in August, September and November.

 

They seized 31g of amphetamines and 9g of cannabis.

 

Ms Burnett can appeal against the court order.

 

"I have to appeal even though I haven't committed a crime," she said. "Why should I pay to get a lawyer? It wouldn't matter if they caught my tenants with 200 barrels of cocaine -- I still haven't done anything wrong."

 

She said the tenants had been in the house for six months.

 

Ms Burnett said she had questioned her tenants after the second notice was served and they assured her there would not be a third incidence of drugs being found in the house.

 

"We spoke to them after the second notice, they told us the drugs didn't belong to them, they belonged to someone who was visiting," Ms Burnett said.

 

"I said to them 'Are you dealing drugs from my house? Do you have drugs there?' and they said 'No -- it won't happen again'. They promised me that and I stupidly believed them."

 

She said she had moved to evict them after police issued the third notice. Ms Burnett said the drug house declaration was made during the two weeks she had given the tenants to get out. "I thought the law was that you had to give people notice -- you can't just say, 'Get out', and leave them on the streets."

 

A second drug house will be declared next week, the Northern Territory News learned last night.

 

It will be at Moil Flats in Lee Point Rd, Darwin.

 

The drug house law was introduced on August 1.

 

Police now have the power to raid 20 Spencer St at any time without a warrant.

 

Northern Territory News

[pipeman]

pretty silly to label a rented place a house of drugs espcially when the landlord is evicting the tennants.

 

But I agree with the idea in principle though.

[Guest Urbanhog]

But I agree with the idea in principle though.

but I don't like the idea, if you are within 200 metres, you have to give the police your name and details, even if you are not involed with the "drug house"

 

Urbanhog

[Tom]

Anyone else, including the owner, that labelled a house that way, would end up in court for harassment.

[pipeman]

But I agree with the idea in principle though.

but I don't like the idea, if you are within 200 metres, you have to give the police your name and details, even if you are not involed with the "drug house"

 

Urbanhog

by law you have to do that anyway urbanhog, drug house or no drughouse.

[pipeman]

Anyone else, including the owner, that labelled a house that way, would end up in court for harassment.

yeah but its not really fair to assume police should treat criminals in the same way as citizens should treat each other.

 

I think that drug dealing is a plague on society, and should be policed, so I think this is a good deterrent. But I don't agree with the implementation of it. The "house of drugs" label should be attached to the tennants, not the owners, and the police should have to demonstrate clear evidence of dealing, not just the presence of drugs.

[OldmanMozz]

Anyone else, including the owner, that labelled a house that way, would end up in court for harassment.

its happening here Tom, its LAW now, three strikes an your out. 2 busts at a house or flat an the third your labelled drug house.

Moil flats (moil foils) hav closed down, no more taxis stopping.

speed place, which is a block of 10 flats, tenants get 2 busts an then deal from another flat until that gets 2 busts. an so the circle goes on.

its now introduced the mobile dealer, "moe's" mobile phone an business cards, no joking.

cheers Mozz

[OldmanMozz]

But I agree with the idea in principle though.

but I don't like the idea, if you are within 200 metres, you have to give the police your name and details, even if you are not involed with the "drug house"

 

Urbanhog

by law you have to do that anyway urbanhog, drug house or no drughouse.

not quite right, they hav 2 hav some suspicion that you are associated with, eg entering or leaving or jus hanging around.

mind u officer Plods idea of hanging around may differ from ours.

[Guest Urbanhog]

by law you have to do that anyway urbanhog, drug house or no drughouse.

Yeah I know that, but I wouldn't like giving my details "linked" to the drughouse, even I wasn't even involed, what happens I was "just walking past"?

 

I have no problem giving my details to the cops for other non-cannabis matters, they are just doing their job.

 

Urbanhog

[Green Finned Demon]

Reading this thread and having watched Mussolini Howard trying to pass legislation to arrest anyone with out charges and hold them indefinitely with no right to legal representation or two a court of law or for relatives to be informed of what is happening or where the govt is holding the person makes me think I have been beamed into Fascist Italy, Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia in the 1930's.

 

What the hell is happening to my country.