Interview Highlight: Crime Stoppers

In this interview highlight Peter catches up with with Clare Dundas from Crime Stoppers Victoria as they chat about The National Drugs Campaign. The campaign’s main focus is on reducing the uptake and use of methamphetamines (ice). It also addresses other drugs in common use, such party drugs.

For support with drug challenges call The National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline:

1800 250 015 or go to: Drug Help

You can call 1800 333 000 or go to Crime Stoppers

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

S1 (00:01):
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S2 (00:13):
Try to catch up with our friends from Crimestoppers. Claire
Dunne Best is on the line. Good to catch up.

S3 (00:18):
Clare Good to catch up, Peter. A month, guys, Really quickly.

S2 (00:22):
Doesn't it just I can't believe it. This is a
very important topic. Drugs. And you don't often necessarily of
people who might be using them, but the big guys,
as we like to say.

S3 (00:32):
That's exactly right. So we've launched a drug campaign and
it's called DOB in a deal. And what we're really
asking the public to do is speak up and disrupt
the illicit drug trade in their local community.

S2 (00:46):
Now, you're focusing in a couple of areas in particular.

S3 (00:49):
Yes. So we've launched this campaign in Shepparton and Mildura,
and we are targeting those who profit from illicit drugs.
So we're focusing specifically on people that are manufacturing and
supplying the drugs. But this message is applicable to all
of Victoria.

S2 (01:06):
As you will come back to where people are, use
drugs and some actually good information you've sent through about
that in a second. But okay, so what's the situation?
How can people.

S3 (01:16):
Help? So that's a great question. But what I want
to say firstly is that what we're seeing in these
communities is devastating effects that illicit drug manufacture and supply
can have. So those that are profiting from the illicit
drug trade cause considerable harm. There's so many impacts that
a community will see from this illicit drug trade. It

(01:39):
can lead to addiction, violence, burglaries, theft, road related trauma
and family violence. So these social impacts are long lasting
and can really result in the community feeling unsafe.

S2 (01:52):
And I guess in those particular, as you talked about,
I mean, that, you know, big, big towns, if you like,
but probably in a sense, a lot of people would know.
A lot of people say what the impact might be,
a bit more than perhaps in a big city where
people might be a little bit more anonymous.

S3 (02:06):
Well, what you find in, say, some of the regional
communities is that people know who the drug dealers are.
They actually have information on who is supplying and manufacturing.
So what we're doing is we're really encouraging those people
to come forward that have information and report it to
Crimestoppers completely anonymously so that we can help their communities.

(02:29):
The devastation, as I just mentioned, is far reaching. And
these people that are profiting are really profiting off other
people's misery and destruction of people's lives.

S2 (02:40):
Now, there are telltale signs for us that we can
look out for, sniff out, if you like.

S3 (02:45):
Absolutely. There's a lot of signs and suspicious activity that
you could be aware of in your local community. And
one big one is a house with cars visiting at
unusual times. So that means that during the day, there's
not much activity at all. It might be completely dark
and silent, but at night you have cars coming and

(03:06):
going at unusual times. It could also be an individual
with unexplained wealth. So we're talking about a person that
has maybe many expensive items and an income that doesn't match.
And we could also be talking about an online profile
or discussion group that speaks in code. And those cards
are referring to illicit drugs. So there are a couple

(03:28):
of the signs that we should be aware of. If
we want to get really granular, we can look at
houses that have really high fences and blacked out windows.
And another really important one is a house that's letting
off chemical smells because that's a really red flag warning
sign right there.

S2 (03:44):
So what happens in a situation like that if I
think something not quite right happening over there, what can
I be encouraged to do? And as you say, it
is anonymous. So people needing fear that they might be
might be identified or that their privacy might be infringed.

S3 (04:03):
That's exactly right. So at Crimestoppers, we offer a anonymous
recording service so you can feel confident that you can
come to us with any information that you have or
suspicions of drug trafficking in your local area. You can
do that by making an online report that that Crimestoppers
victims are you or you can give us a call

(04:23):
on one 800 333000 and speak to someone that you
can have the confidence to know that none of your
personal details will be required or recorded. And if you
are using the online reporting service, none of your details
are tracked by that method either. But in terms of
what people can share, we're looking for any information relating

(04:46):
to the illicit drug trade, including a description of the
person or group involved. We're looking for no names and aliases.
We're after the location of these activities car descriptions, number plates.
Even to the point where you can upload photos and
videos online very safely. But we're only asking the public

(05:06):
to come forward with that if it is safe to
do so. We don't want to put anyone at risk
to get any information.

S2 (05:12):
So in a sense, people can be discreet, but at
the same time, it can be a very, very powerful
thing that they can be doing. Claire, what about in
the instance that, you know, sadly, we may have a
family member that might be caught up in this, So
we're kind of thinking, well, you know, I'd like to
look after my family member. By the same token, I
love this sort of thing to be able to be stopped.

(05:34):
That kind of puts people in a bit of an
invidious position, doesn't it?

S3 (05:37):
It really does. And that's why I want to really
stress that we're going after the people that are manufacturing
these drugs and supplying them. We're specifically targeting those that
profit from the illicit drug trade. And I want to
stress that we're not going after anyone that uses drugs.
And in fact, we have support resources on our website
for drug addiction and substance abuse. So we're really specifically

(06:02):
going after the people profiting, and we're trying to educate
the public on the signs like we've just mentioned here earlier.
But one thing I will say is that if you
have someone suffering or you are suffering, the National Alcohol
and Other Drug hotline, which is one 800 250015, can
actually direct you to support services in your local area.

(06:26):
And that's all free and confidential. So I'd say that's
a really great number to call if you're starting out
and you need some help. There's also the Drug help website,
which is campaigns dot health dot gov. Today you forward
slash drug help. That's another service that can connect you
with drug support services. But the key message here is

(06:47):
that if someone's had an unusual reaction to a drug
or if you're feeling worried about your safety or someone else's,
please call 000 immediately. That is definitely a situation to
call 000.

S2 (06:59):
I know that over the time it seems to be
more I say more common. It seems to certainly impact
upon those, you know, less than city communities, doesn't it?
You know, I know you know, sometimes some of those
communities are in terms of representation, you know, with things
like wastewater testing and that sort of stuff. They're overrepresented

(07:20):
as far as some illicit drug use go, unfortunately.

S3 (07:24):
Drugs are an issue across all of Victoria, and regional
communities do feel the effects of these problems in those
small areas. So I would say it's a widespread problem.

S2 (07:38):
Sure. How much you can talk about this, but what
happens to the information that we provide? We contact crime
is on the number that we're paid. The second or website.
What do you do with that information from there?

S3 (07:50):
That information is prepared by the people who take the
calls and then passed on to Victoria Police for them
to then use that information to follow up. And that
that can be the information that assists with a case.
It could even assist with an arrest. So the one

(08:11):
thing that everyone must know is that all the metadata
is stripped from any online reports and you are not
required to give over any personal details. You will never
be called up again. Once you've given your information to Crimestoppers,
it stops there.

S2 (08:27):
I know this campaign is just underway now, but do
you know, like in the past, I think we've been
pretty good as far as, you know, having that community
spirit and wanting to help out it. And I guess
in general terms, people have been with other campaigns that
you run. You know, once people are aware of it,
you know, we're a pretty good community minded organisation to

(08:48):
a lot of people that do want to help others,
you know, help out sort of fellow person.

S3 (08:52):
Absolutely. Peter, We get a call at Crimestoppers every 5
minutes and that's throughout the entire week. So that's 24
seven reporting service. And in the last financial year we
got over 106,000 contacts, likewise to show that the community
really care about their safety and they're really willing to
give forward any information they have to make it a

(09:14):
safer place for for all, really.

S2 (09:17):
At the moment, this particular campaign is concentrating more on
New Jura and Shepparton, but it doesn't matter where people
are listening at the moment. If they think that there's
something a little bit untoward happening in their particular neighbourhood,
regardless of whether it's in Shepparton, Wajir or elsewhere, you're
more than happy to hear from them as well.

S3 (09:38):
That is exactly right. We've launched a big campaign in
November in Shepparton and with all of our campaigns we
go out and launch in different areas of Victoria. We
like to spread the love all over the state, but
the message really does apply to the entire stage and
that is that there are things to look out for
when it comes to the illicit drug trade and we're

(09:58):
really asking people. Speak up if they know something, because
we're hoping to disrupt it. We want to really disrupt
the illicit drug trade because of the devastation it causes.

S2 (10:08):
Barnett is a Region Australia radio station in both the
Mildura and Shepparton South Beach area. Advise people listening through
those particular stations at the moment. Clear, wonderful information out.
I think we better grab some details from people and
to find out more about this particular campaign. How can
we do that? And then we'll wrap up by giving

(10:29):
those numbers into websites for people who sadly may be
impacted by the drug taking and maybe would like some support.
That's an equally important message as well.

S3 (10:39):
Yeah, it absolutely is. So if you'd like to find
out more about the DOB in a dealer campaign, you
can head over to our website. It's Crime Stoppers dot
com today. You we've got a lot of campaign information
on there, including videos and things to look out for.
So it goes into detail about drug labs, crocuses and

(11:00):
just the different signs that you can be aware of
in your community if you want to make a report
to Crime Stoppers. Again, you can jump on the Crime
Stoppers website. Crime Stoppers speak to you and you just
click on the Help Solve Crime tab and that's where
you can giving your personal give your information over and

(11:21):
none of your personal details, I will say. And then
we've also got the number one 800 333000. And that
is a confidential recording service.

S2 (11:30):
All right. If people want to get some support. Now,
you've got a couple you've got a phone number there.
The people call and also you get the website a
little bit earlier as well.

S3 (11:39):
Yes. So we've got the National Drug and Alcohol Hotline
and we've also got the government drug Help website there.
And that is again for you a reference. The number
is one 800 250015. And then that website that you
can go and find the resources in your local area

(11:59):
campaigns to help you slash drug help.

S2 (12:03):
Clare, wonderful information. Thank you so much that we'll catch
up again next month. It's always great to hear the
wonderful work that you're doing and I call every 5 minutes.
You must be doing something right for that sort of response.
So let's hope that it's know that people who keep
responding in that particular way. Thank you for being with
us this afternoon.

S3 (12:22):
Thank you, Peter. People do really care about keeping the
community safe, as we say here. And thank you for
having us on the show and being able to talk
with all your listeners about this really important.

S2 (12:32):
Campaign play down that's there from Crime Stoppers Victoria.

S1 (12:36):
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