Pubdate: Tue, 13 Jul 1999
Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia)
Contact:  http://www.smh.com.au/
Author: Linda Doherty

CRIME CRACKDOWN A MODEL FOR NSW

An intensive police operation on the South Coast targeting drug criminals
would be used as a model to reduce NSW crime rates, one of the State's most
senior officers said yesterday.

The commander of South-Eastern Region, Assistant Commissioner Christine
Nixon, said Operation Midia, run by the Shoalhaven Local Area Command, was a
sign of "organisational growth" since the Police Royal Commission.

Operation Midia and associated police behavioural change workshops have seen
crime rates plunge in the six months it has been running from Nowra police
station.

Using worldwide research to develop strategies, police officers have
targeted 600 repeat drug offenders to solve property and other crimes.

Drug dealers come home to find random breath-testing units outside their
homes, police have searched under dogs' collars for drugs, warrants are
served at all hours of the night and the "target" offenders are told by
police they are under surveillance.

Property break-ins have fallen by 49 per cent, robberies 69 per cent,
stealing 34 per cent and car theft and assaults both by 22 per cent between
January and June 30.

Ms Nixon said Operation Midia had increased staff job satisfaction;
strategies were developed by front-line police working with the community
and crime had dropped in a relatively short period.

She said new powers given to police, such as knife laws and stop-and-search
powers, had "given police confidence".

Similar operations were likely to start in the Lake Illawarra and Monaro
commands. Waratah Local Area Command in Newcastle has a similar scheme.

A spokeswoman for the Minister for Police, Mr Whelan, said other local area
commands were targeting repeat offenders and crime hot spots in operations
such as Cabramatta's Puccini and the six Citysafe operations run by City
East police.

The secretary of the Police Association, Mr Peter Remfrey, said Operation
Midia gave front-line police the chance to create a safer society and a
better working environment.

"The real challenge for the Police Service is to facilitate the spread of
this sort of transformation throughout all commands," he said.

"The unprecedented reduction in crime rates, across a range of key problem
areas, has been achieved despite a recognised staffing problem and is
directly due to the efforts of operational police."

The Shoalhaven Local Area Commander, Mr Allan Crumpton, said his 114-strong
force was 28 officers under-strength due to officers seconded to other
areas, maternity leave, officers waiting for medical retirement and sick leave.

He said the ratio of police to the public was one to 203 people in New York,
one to 400 in Sydney and one officer to 756 people in the Shoalhaven Local
Area Command. 

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