Police task force to open Thursday

A task force to target the trafficking of drugs, alcohol and petrol to Aboriginal communities will be opened in Alice Springs on Thursday.

The Substance Abuse Intelligence Desk is being established with $500,000 in federal funding.

Northern Territory Police Minister Paul Henderson says it also aims to set up uniform laws and penalties across the Northern Territory, South Australia and Western Australia.

"We've got a range of penalties for petrol supply for example - we've got to come together but the thing is that we've got to get the intelligence to go before a court and substantiate a conviction and that's what this desk will be," he said.

Mr Henderson says police from the three jurisdictions will work closely together.

"We're waiting on the West Australians to build a police station at Warakuna just across the border there from Docker River," he said.

"Once that police station is up and running we will have a Northern Territory police officer there in Warakuna.

"So that's the type of collaboration we're looking at to continue, to put the pressure on people who do run these substances and destroy the lives of so many people."

Newshawk: http://www.napnt.org
Pubdate: Mon, 16 January 2006
Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation (Australia Web)
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