logo
ENFRع
#

Latest news with #LillianHanly

Meth Consumption Still High, No Evidence Of Related Spike In Crime
Meth Consumption Still High, No Evidence Of Related Spike In Crime

Scoop

time10-07-2025

  • Scoop

Meth Consumption Still High, No Evidence Of Related Spike In Crime

Lillian Hanly, Political reporter A huge spike in meth use last year shows little sign of shrinking, but police data suggests it has not meant a big increase in crime. Wastewater data shows meth use remains elevated, which Detective Superintendent Greg Williams said was "gutting" and could mean a rise in crime and social harm. But police data shows there is no evidence yet of a significant spike in crime following the significant spike in methamphetamine use. It comes as the Ministerial Advisory Group on Organised Crime releases its most recent report, highlighting the need to 'remove the customers of drug crime'. Wastewater testing Wastewater testing showed a 96 percent increase of consumption of methamphetamine in 2024, compared to 2023, which has been referred to as a "doubling" in meth use. Fifteen kilograms of methamphetamine was consumed every week in the March 2019 quarter. In the December 2024 quarter, about 36kg was consumed on average each week. The latest data from nationwide wastewater testing taken from January to March this year shows an average of 33 kg consumed per week. Casey Costello, the Minister of Customs and Associate Minister of Police, who is in charge of the Ministerial Advisory Group on organised crime told RNZ in a statement it was good meth use was down, but it remained "far too high". All districts continued to record above average use when compared to the respective consumption rates over the previous four quarters, the report said. "Methamphetamine use across sample sites in Q1 2025 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $34.6 million." It was not clear yet whether more people started using, or whether the same people were using more. "We'd expect a massive increase in the population use. It doesn't seem that that's the case," Williams said, and more testing was being done to understand what happened to cause the uptick last July. Regardless, Williams said it was "gutting to see" meth use was still in the range of that top level, "honestly, seriously concerning." He could not say whether the increase in meth use had directly caused an increase in crime, but said "meth is a massive driver of crime, social harm and social deprivation in communities". "So regardless of whether it's more people using or people using more it's still creating significantly more social harm and also seeing significantly more money going to the hands of gangs across the country, who are the ones selling this into the community." Williams acknowledged the price of meth had dropped, but it was still relatively high compared to the rest of the world. "You've still got to find the money to pay for that right? "That's the concern." Increase in meth use: Victimisations data To consider whether there had been a jump in crime related to a jump in meth use, RNZ looked at the Recorded Crime Victims Statistics, which shows how many times Police receive reports of crimes that have a victim - or "victimisations" such as assault, burglary, theft. According to Police data from the RCVS, there was not a significant and continuous spike in crime that directly aligned with the spike in meth use which began in July 2024. Over a period of two years, between the start of July 2023 and the end of June 2025, the nationwide trend was relatively steady in terms of the number of victimisations. Here's a breakdown nationwide by month over those two years (up to the latest data available) which shows the number of victimisations after the spike in meth use stays relatively consistent with the period before the spike. Nationwide victimisations: - Data from Police RCVS According to wastewater data, the police regions of Northland, Eastern, Waikato and Tāmaki Makaurau saw the highest methamphetamine consumption per capita. Here's the breakdown of victimisations in those police districts by month for the past two years, where you can see a marginal increase in some cases, but a relatively consistent trend. Victimisations by region: - Data from Police RCVS Asked whether he was seeing a correlation between the increase in meth use and an increase in crime, Detective Superintendent Williams said he did not have that data in front of him but referenced research which showed a cohort of meth users who had a conviction were committing five times more offending than a non-meth-using cohort. Williams said it was hard to say what the long-term impacts would be and when they might start to be seen, but in the meantime, gangs were getting significantly more money as a result of the increased use. "So, inherently, you have to see an impact out there in communities." Data based on reported crime can sometimes hide what goes unreported, so a victimisation survey - which asked people about their experiences of crime - was typically considered the gold standard measurement. However, New Zealand's version - the Crime and Victims Survey - is run annually, so that data was not available. Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime (TASC) The group provides monthly reports to the minister with findings and recommendations regarding New Zealand's response to organised crime. The latest report published this week, for June, was titled 'One Team Against Organised Crime', and specified the need for a sustained and concerted strategy and action at government and community levels to break long term, intergenerational cycles and address the symptoms and root causes of organised crime. It specified a need for a national strategy with local implementation to fight TASC, as well as a focus on prevention, stating "we agree that building community resilience to organised crime" should be part of the strategy. "This is consistent with the foundational objectives for national drug policies: problem limitation, demand reduction and supply control. "These principles have informed the work recently undertaken by the meth sprint team commissioned by the Prime Minister." A section titled 'Removing the Customers of Drug Crime' outlined the current situation where Customs was seizing far more illicit drugs than ever before, while there had been a substantial increase in the consumption of methamphetamine. It noted, even before the spike in meth and cocaine, there were real pressures on addiction services in New Zealand. For example, in 2023/24: a. New Zealand spent around $235 million on specialist alcohol and other drug services b. 44,850 people accessed AOD services c. Wait times into specialist addiction services within 3 weeks were 75.8 percent. The report raised the question of whether the costs of organised crime were paid for through "increased efforts to reduce demand or through enforcement, or through the longer-term costs of social harms, including, for example, the costs of imprisonment". "We have heard from community leaders that it would be helpful to see drug use as a health issue rather than a criminal issue to enable addicts to access treatment." Part of this could be increasing support for confidential drug testing services; encouraging police to refer people who use drugs to local treatment options; continuing support for community-based meth reduction programmes like Te Ara Oranga in Northland; and meeting other health needs like undiagnosed neurodiversity (such as ADHD) so illicit drugs were not being used to control those symptoms. Key recommendations from the group to prevent drug crime included: a. Reducing the stigma around being a drug user to encourage users to seek help b. Investing in the availability of effective addiction treatment services to remove the customers of drug crime c. Considering wider rollout of alternative treatment models and criminal justice pathways for users, such as Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Courts. A response from the government's 'meth sprint team' to the increased meth use is expected in due course, and could be as soon as this month.

Cost-of-living pressures top of mind for govt: Luxon
Cost-of-living pressures top of mind for govt: Luxon

Otago Daily Times

time03-07-2025

  • Business
  • Otago Daily Times

Cost-of-living pressures top of mind for govt: Luxon

By Lillian Hanly of RNZ The government has ticked off most of its action plan for the last quarter, as it turns to the next with a continued focus on the cost of living. In its report card for the last three months, two items were listed as 'in progress': - Take Cabinet decisions on capital markets settings to remove barriers to listing, reduce costs to firms and enable greater investment in private assets from KiwiSaver providers. - Publish the first Government AI strategy to help drive adoption of AI to boost productivity and grow the economy. The AI strategy is expected to be released in the coming weeks, and further decisions on capital market settings were expected in the next quarter. One change that has been made was to reduce the listing costs on firms by making the publication of their prospective financial information voluntary. Turning to the next quarter, a statement from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said continuing to address cost-of-living pressures over the coming months was key. Luxon said the government was taking action on the cost of food, housing, banking and energy to "drive a better bargain" for New Zealand families. "While it's still tough out there for too many Kiwis, our Government's focus on unlocking economic growth is starting to show some promise with key indicators up across the board." He said it wasn't enough for businesses to grow and invest. "New Zealanders deserve an economy that works for them, with more competition and lower prices," Luxon said. The next quarter will see the repeal of the oil and gas exploration ban, next steps to improve supermarket competition and further changes to the RMA. Luxon said repealing the ban would "unleash the energy" the country needed to "keep the lights on and prevent power prices from skyrocketing in the years to come". "The cost of housing is also a priority, with significant improvements to the RMA enabling more construction in our biggest cities expected to become law," he said. The government will also look to publish the first standards allowing the use of overseas building products in the country. The Public Works (Critical Infrastructure) Amendment Bill will be passed, which will streamline the process to acquire land for big projects. Legislation will be introduced to "strengthen governance and planning arrangements" at Auckland Transport. Under law and order, the government will look to progress legislation that makes stalking an illegal offence, and introduce legislation that deters "anti-social road use." Changes to the electoral system are on the way, including introducing a ban on prisoner voting, and the government will begin delivering rehabilitation and reintegration services to remand prisoners. Cabinet will consider decisions on legislation to "affirm police's authority to collect, use and retain information about individuals in public places for lawful policing purposes". Other actions under better public services include starting to deliver additional elective procedures, and opening an expression of interest for 120 nurse practitioner training places. The government will also implement its funding increase for GP clinics and the first prototypes for the expansion of urgent care for rural and remote areas. Legislation that will give effect to the ECE Regulation Sector Review will be introduced and key policy decisions taken to tighten the eligibility for income support for 18/19-year-olds.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store