Thursday 8 October 2009

HIT THE GANGS HARD


The government today announced its strategy against P. The bit that got the most press was the restriction on the purchase of pseudo ephedrine laden compounds that relieve the symptoms of colds and snuffles.

They are the panacea for the worried well. So will the restriction change our lives ? Nah. A few drug companies wont make so much money.. Tough.

So we think that's okay but its the crime bits of the government strategy we are particularly interested in.

We think the government is heading in the right direction. Here's the good bits.


Using the proceeds of crime legislation to fund anti-P initiatives, including additional Police and Customs activities to fight gangs and organised crime. Proceeds will also fund an expansion of drug treatment services.

• Assigning 40 additional Customs officers to special dedicated drug-taskforce duties to help break the supply chain.

• Implementing a new Police Methamphetamine Control Strategy from November this year, which aims to use intelligence in new ways to target gangs, investigate drug syndicates which import P precursors illegally, target P ‘cooks’ and seize funds and assets gained through P-related activity.

• Reviewing the outdated Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Act 1966, to provide a more effective legal means for families and doctors to get P-addicts into compulsory assessment and treatment.

However, we would like to see a mass media campaign targeting gangs - denormalising them.At the end of the day it is the gangs and the parasites above them who are profiting in this menace.

Take them out and we have no supply.

It will take a cross community response backing the government up to make it effective happen. The sort of campaign that had us buckle up our seat belts and stop drink driving and reduce the rate of smoking. Make it socially unacceptable . If the government took all of the government money still being spent on social marketing and pumped it into in the strategy) then we might get somewhere.

And where to start?

Headhunters

Hells Angels

And the rest of the arsehole gangs who are now fashionable accessories at the best celeb parties.

The government has made a start and we are delighted that they actually have a cross government strategy - lots of strands. We haven't seen much of that before.

But it is going to take a shift in societies thinking , that gangs aren't cool even if they fund raise for poor people and we certainly don't want them as dinner guests.


5 comments:

Will de Cleene said...

Yeah, just what we need. A power vacuum for the Triads or whoever.

Peter Cresswell said...

Take a few out and you restrict supply -- while doing nothing to slow demand. And you know, or should know, what that will do to prices.

So your braindead headline should read, ironically, 'Hit the Gangs Hard, by Increasing Their Profits.' Because that's all this vacuous headline-grabbing is actually likely to achieve, you know.

Cactus Kate said...

"cross community response backing the government up to make it effective happen"

I think you can start that campaign on the Marae.

You've told me yourself that the Maori gangs get to do the grunt work in peddling this shit.

The Hunters and the white boys don't like getting their hands dirty. Cut off their cheap Maori labour and they will have trouble doing it themselves.

Anonymous said...

What a great business to be in, just one free sample and you've got a customer for life.
Don't actually break the gangs, smash them and their delivery systems, the more resource we pour into the complete destruction of this drug at every level the greater the payback at every level.
The amazing thing is that even after they are jailed the ringleaders can still run their empires from behind bars, and we think we have it under control,Yeah Right

Anonymous said...

start stopping the trendy taking and distributing p and you might get somewhere - try these industries - TV, movies, banks, celebrities, fund managers, PR, advertising, music, journos, police, local body pollys, the list is as long as you want it to be but you won't like what you find - plenty of lightbulbs missing and misused in those 'professions'