Illegal drug use in Brimbank is rife, with the municipality recording the second most drug-related offences in the state last year behind only Melbourne’s CBD.
New data from the Crime Statistics Agency reveals there were 988 drug use and possession offences recorded in Brimbank in 2016, up more than 35 per cent on the previous year.
Melbourne topped the state, with 1302 drug offences – an improvement on 2015, when almost 1500 offences were recorded.
Brimbank Acting Inspector Cameron Reinke said the spike in drug offences locally could in part be explained by the western region’s population growth.
“Brimbank [police service area] takes in Melton as well, so we’ve got one of the most significant growth corridors in the country,” he said. “I think you have to take that into account.”
He said pro-active policing targeting drug labs and drug importers had also had an impact.
“There’s greater use, but there’s also greater detection,” he said. “We’ve had a number of special operations that would affect the numbers.”
Deer Park and Sunshine North raids in January netted multiple arrests following investigations led by Victoria Police’s clandestine laboratory squad.
The CSA data also shows methamphetamine use is rampant in Brimbank, with 273 offences recorded last year, up 91 per cent on the previous year. The figures reveal Brimbank had the third most “ice” use and possession offences in the state, behind only Hume (277) and Casey (274).
