Colac Area Health’s Chris Kendall.

COLAC and district drug users are increasingly getting hooked on the drug ice, paying up to $300 a hit and stretching support services.

Addicts have told Colac drug counsellors they are paying $100 a point, which is a tenth of a gram, for ice, or methamphetamine, which counsellors say is on par with the value of cocaine.

Colac Area Health drug and alcohol services co-ordinator Chris Kendall said most addicts would smoke or inject between one and three points for a single high from the increasingly popular and highly dangerous drug.

Mr Kendall said ice use had skyrocketed in Colac and district in the past six to nine months, with more than 60 per cent of Colac Area Health’s drug counselling clients seeking help for ice use.

He said about 20 per cent of clients had an ice problem only nine months ago.

“We’re seeing ice being used across the age range, not necessarily just with young people but also with a lot of older people,” Mr Kendall said.

“I’m even seeing people I’ve worked with for quite some time that were cannabis users that are now using ice,” he said.

“Most people we are getting are already addicted – people become addicted to ice fairly quickly.”

Mr Kendall said the popularity of ice was increasing, despite its high health and financial price tag, and the demand for help was stretching Colac counselling services.

“Alcohol and drug counselling is running at 164 per cent – we are having an increase in drug presentations across the board but we are noticing a very definite increase in ice use,” he said.

“If there is a new drug or a drug suddenly takes off they will use it for two to three months then seek help,” Mr Kendall said.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see an increase early next year but we will cope and put strategies in place so people can be seen – it doesn’t matter how many people we will find a way to see everybody,” he said.

Mr Kendall said it was a positive sign that ice addicts were seeking help and Colac was “not any better or worse than other any other areas”.

“Geelong, Warrnambool and Melbourne – their client load has the same proportion – the whole state has experienced an increase in ice use,” he said.

Mr Kendall said the community would continue to suffer from ice’s flow-on effects, including drug-related crime, and he encouraged people to get help.

He said giving up ice was “on par with trying to give up speed or heroin”.

“So there are significant withdrawals especially the first few days,” Mr Kendall said.

“They can contact us personally or through reception and we will see them as soon as possible,” he said.

A COLAC drug counsellor fears the region could have a hepatitis outbreak due to the rising popularity of the drug ice.

Colac Area Health drug and alcohol service co-ordinator Chris Kendall said Colac’s growing number of ice users generally smoked or injected the addictive drug, and needle sharing had become a concern.

Increasing use of the drug ice could increase the spread of hepatitis in Colac and district, a drug counsellor warns.

“The risk of hepatitis is high unless they know the person they are sharing with really, really well and even then it’s no guarantee that person knows they have hepatitis,” Mr Kendall said.

“It’s not a condition that you find out about straight away, you may not have symptoms for quite some time with hepatitis,” he said.

“My information is that there’s a problem with a lot more people injecting ice than they were originally which increases the risk of the spread of hepatitis.”

Mr Kendall said Colac Area Health’s clients seeking help for an ice addiction had increased by more than 40 per cent in the past six to nine months but he said not all users were ready to give up.

He urged people who weren’t ready to stop taking ice to at least go to a syringe program at the hospital to ensure they were using clean needles.

“Because we don’t want to see an increase in the spread of hepatitis and if people are concerned about their use of any drug they might be using we are more than happy to see them.”

Mr Kendall said the purity of ice, or methamphetamine, meant people became addicted quickly and he said counsellors were seeing “quite a few” people who were using ice as their first-time drug experience.

“That is a very big concern – traditionally first-time drug users that we would get through the service are usually using alcohol, cannabis or speed,” he said.

“Now we are seeing ice as the primary and secondary drug of choice with a lot of people,” Mr Kendall said.

“Ice traditionally isn’t cut so it’s a lot more pure and it addicts people a lot quicker.”

Mr Kendall said ice use in Colac and district would continue to be a problem while methamphetamine labs were supplying Victorian users.

“The drug use in the community is very much based on supply and demand,” he said.

“It’s our indication that there is a very good supply of it and until the labs are busted and shut down there will continue to be a good supply of it.”

Police found drugs and cash in a car in central Colac.

POLICE have arrested a Colac man after finding drugs and cash in his car in central Colac.

Senior Sergeant Ken Slingsby of Colac police said officers stopped the 23-year-old, who was known to police, for a routine licence check on Murray Street and searched his car, finding amphetamines, cash and other drugs of dependence.

Sen Sgt Slingsby said police charged the man with having possessed drugs of dependence, having trafficked amphetamines and having possessed proceeds of crime.

He said police remanded the man in custody and transferred him to Geelong where he will await an appearance in Colac Magistrate’s Court later this month.

Sgt Slingsby described Monday morning’s breakthrough as another “significant and good arrest” in Colac officers’ fight against drugs in the city.

Colac detectives and uniformed police teamed up with Victoria Police’s dog squad and Warrnambool investigators last month to raid three Colac and district properties, seizing quantities of the drug ice, cannabis, stolen goods and homemade weapons.

The raids were at two Wilson Street, Colac, properties and one Cororooke property.

Police charged two Colac men, 55 and 42, from the separate Wilson Street raids, and a Cororooke man, 35, and Colac man, 26, from the Cororooke raid.

A COLAC detective busted a woman with drugs and stolen goods on his way to work on his first day back from holidays.

Detective Peter Griffiths of Colac Criminal Investigation Unit said he noticed the woman driving erratically towards Winchelsea from Geelong and called uniformed police to stop the vehicle.

Det Griffiths said the Geelong woman, 28, almost hit a worker at the roadworks near Winchelsea before police stopped her at Winchelsea.

He said he and Winchelsea police officers searched the woman’s car and found powder drugs, electrical items, power tools and a computer.

Det Griffiths said police arrested the woman and took her to Winchelsea police station where they interviewed her and charged her with having possessed a drug of dependence, having handled stolen goods and traffic-related offences.

He said the woman told police she was on her way to Cobden for a doctor’s appointment at the time of her arrest.

Det Griffiths said police bailed the woman to appear at Geelong Magistrate’s Court on February 18.

Police have seized almost $1-million worth of cannabis plants in the Otways.

POLICE have seized close to $1 million worth of cannabis plants after using a helicopter to search the Otways.

Detective Peter Griffiths of Colac Criminal Investigation Unit said police resumed the operation this week using a Melbourne-based police helicopter to scour the Otways for cannabis plantations.

Det Griffiths said this week’s three-day operation followed on from a seizure of “hundreds” of cannabis plants totalling a street value close to $1 million.

“We had quite a substantial find in the hundreds,” he said.

“These plants probably don’t yield as much as hydroponic ones, they might be worth $2500 to $3000 fully-matured.

“So you’re looking at close to a million dollars,” he said after revealing details of the haul yesterday.

Det Griffiths said investigators were yet to charge anyone after February’s haul and were waiting for forensic evidence.

He said police this week seized “a reasonable amount” of cannabis plants which the air wing team spotted near Apollo Bay.

Det Griffiths said police had charged a man in his 30s who would face court on drug-related charges. “It was certainly a reasonable amount, not enough to lay a charge of trafficking, but it was fairly obvious they were there for his own personal use,” he said.

Det Griffiths said the fly-over operation had worked well, with ground crews responding and seizing the cannabis plants.

“Having the support from the air wing in Melbourne, you really can’t put a price on it,” he said.

Det Griffiths said police would use the service again when the opportunity arose.

He said police also used the helicopter to look for arsonists in the Otways on Wednesday, and to search for a missing woman in Colac at the weekend who has since shown up.

Lorne’s Falls Festival was the backdrop to an online and social media campaign by the Transport Accident Commission.

LORNE and the Surf Coast feature in an interactive campaign to push the road safety message to young people.

The Transport Accident Commission has produced “Roadtrip Forever”, a Facebook video experience.

The campaign allows Facebook users to become the driver on a trip to a festival, and on the way home, be involved in an accident.

The filming for the video took place at Lorne and Torquay, as well as in Melbourne.

TAC road safety manager Samantha Cockfield said the road safety authority wanted to reach younger drivers through social media.

“Roadtrip Forever was really about the TAC making inroads into social media.

“It’s really important to the TAC to get the key messages out to obey the road rules, you do everything right and don’t take risks on the road that you really don’t need to be one of those statistics,” she said.

Watch the Roadtrip Forever trailer on YouTube

Ms Cockfield said 13 per cent of Victorian licence holders were between 18 and 25, an age group which made up about 26 per cent of people who died in road accidents.

“That means they’re overrepresented in terms of the road toll,” she said.

TAC chief executive Janet Dore said more than 60,000 people had viewed Roadtrip Forever in its first month.

“With thousands of likes on Facebook, and more than 60,000 hits online, it is fantastic to see young people absorbing imperative road safety messages,” Ms Dore said.

“Roadtrip Forever is not only a powerful reminder of the importance of having a good time, but it also ensures drivers get to and from events such as music festivals safely first,” she said.

A COLAC drug trafficker and thief will spend at least three-and-a-half months in jail.

The 23-year-old pleaded guilty to 14 charges in Colac Magistrate’s Court including having trafficked and possessed amphetamines and to a string of burglaries and thefts.

The court heard the man and other co-accused were responsible for a burglary and criminal damage at Colac’s Hair on Hearn in August last year before the accused man went on a spree of thefts and attempted thefts from motor vehicles throughout September.

Police prosecutor Senior Constable Scott Bell said the man was on bail for the thefts and burglaries when police found him in possession of amphetamines in Colac’s Wilson Street in January.

Sen Const Bell said the accused, who was a passenger in a vehicle which police had stopped, became “agitated and verbally aggressive” when police asked for his details.

He said police searched the accused and found a phone with text messages “indicating the time and date of drug dealings”.

Sen Const Bell said police took the man to Colac police station where officers found a “small foil parcel” of amphetamines in his wallet but the accused refused to answer questions.

“Police obtained a statement from an independent witness indicating the accused had made an arrangement for a drug deal of ‘100 shard for $100’,” he said.

“A text message was sent to the accused at 10.02am and he attended the address to complete the deal.”

Sen Const Bell said police remanded the accused in custody that day and he served 103 days of pre-sentence detention before Monday’s hearing.

He said the accused had also pleaded guilty to having obtained property by deception for selling an MP3 player to a pawn broker on September 25, the same day he stole a GPS navigator and $3 from another car.

The prosecution presented a psychological report of the accused which indicated he was likely to re-offend and return to using drugs when released from jail.

The man’s defence lawyer questioned the psychological report and labelled it “slap dash” and “not a thorough report”.

The lawyer also said statements of his his amphetamine-addicted client, who has two young sons, contradicted the information in the report.

Magistrate Ann McGarvie sentenced the man to eight months’ jail, with six months suspended for two years, for the burglary, theft and dishonesty charges, less his 103 days pre-sentence detention.

Mrs McGarvie sentenced him to two months in jail for having trafficked and possessed amphetamines, which he would serve concurrently with the theft sentence.

But she ordered the man to serve a previous four-month suspended sentence, less 14 days he had already served, meaning he would spend the next three months and 16 days in jail.

Mrs McGarvie also convicted and fined the man $800 for criminal damage.

Police have seized, heroin, ice, marijuana, weapons and cash and cash in a series of raids in Colac.

COLAC police have seized heroin, ice, cannabis, weapons, stolen goods and cash in a series of raids across the city.

Detective Sergeant Peter Griffiths of Colac Criminal Investigation Unit said investigators had made a “significant incursion” into the supply of illicit drugs in Colac after executing the warrants using a narcotics detection dog and help from uniformed police.

Det Griffiths said the most significant haul was at an Imperial Drive property where police found the drug ice in deal bags, drug-using paraphernalia, a machete, a stun gun and cash.

He said police arrested a 25-year-old female occupant, who was at home with her three children, and charged her with having trafficked and possessed methamphetamine and having possessed the proceeds of crime.

“She was charged and bailed by a bail justice to appear in court at Colac on June 3,” Det Griffiths said.

He said detectives were yet to speak to a male occupant who wasn’t home at the time of the raids but could face drugs and weapons charges.

Det Griffiths said police also searched a Wynne Street house and found cannabis and cash.

He said police would interview a 28-year-old man in relation to the raid at a later date because he was home with his nine-year-old daughter at the time.

Det Griffiths said the quantity of cannabis and “other evidence” was sufficient for a drug trafficking charge.

Police executed a third warrant on Thursday at a Hearn Street house and officers found $1000 worth of cosmetics and perfume as well as prescription drugs without scripts.

Det Griffiths said police would interview a 72-year-old male occupant in relation to the haul.

Meanwhile, police found cannabis and cash at a Wheal Street property and a quantity of what police believed to be heroin, which a male was carrying at the address.

Inspector Gary Bruce of Geelong Police Division said two Colac men, one in his 20s and another in his 30s, went to the address while Colac detectives and uniformed police were there.

Insp Bruce said one man would face drug trafficking and proceeds of crime charges for the cannabis and cash, and the other faced drug possession charges for the heroin.

“We encourage members of the community who have information in relation to drug activity to contact Crime Stoppers or the police at Colac,” Insp Bruce said.

“We will continue to target people suspected of selling drugs in the community,” Det Griffiths said.

“There are professional health services available to people having problems, they only have to ask,” he said.

“Their local GP can easily make a referral and provide them with assistance. As well as having to go through the court process, police were required by law to notify the DHS of the children being put at risk living with drug traffickers.”

A man has told Colac Magistrate’s Court he grew cannabis to calm his bees.

A MELBOURNE man grew cannabis in the Otways to calm his bees, Colac Magistrate’s Court has heard.

The 58-year-old pleaded guilty this week to cultivating a narcotic plant.

The man told Magistrate Ann McGarvie he was a hobby apiarist and had heard using cannabis in his bee smoker would make the insects more “docile”.

“I thought I’m not hurting anyone,” the man said of growing five plants at his Kawarren holiday property.

“It was naive on my part.”

Ms McGarvie placed the man on an adjourned undertaking for six months and did not record a conviction.

She told the man he had to display good behaviour over that period.

“It was a silly decision to make, there are eyes everywhere,” Ms McGarvie said.

“You’re not allowed to use it to calm your bees or anyone else,” she said.

Art has helped lift Colac’s Darren Matheson from the depths of cannabis addiction.

COLAC’S Darren Matheson says he was smoking “up to 150 bongs a day” at the height of his cannabis addiction.

And Mr Matheson said for a decade of his 24-year habit he would smoke a bong – a type of water pipe – of cannabis as soon as he woke every morning.

“That’s what it used to be at one stage in my life – probably for about 10 years I was down that road, it was as soon as I opened my eyes,” he said.

“For most of my life I’ve been smoking dope – I think it was a waste of 24 years.”

The 44-year-old decided enough was enough and over the past three years he has reduced his smoking to the point where he has now been cannabis-free, or clean, for almost three months.

“I was sick of getting in trouble with police and just sick of my lifestyle the way it was – sick of being broke all the time with not enough money for things,” Mr Matheson said.

“I wanted to change for good,” he said.

Mr Matheson, who described his addiction as a “costly habit”, sought help through Colac Area Health’s drug and alcohol counselling program and its co-ordinator Chris Kendall and clinician Maude Berry.

“I’ve come to see Chris for probably the last three years and I got down to Geelong detox recently and in the past 10 weeks I’ve been clean,” he said.

Mr Kendall said Mr Matheson showed he was committed to giving up cannabis during the “first phase” of his detox at Geelong’s withdrawal unit.

“The first phase is the first seven days which everyone gets to do and you’ve got to be selected for the second phase – one, if there is a bed available and two, if you’re motivated,” he said.

“It would have been about 14 or 15 weeks ago when he actually started, he did a month and now he has actually been clean for about 11 weeks.”

Mr Kendall said Mr Matheson, who had also experimented with other illicit drugs, was smoking up to seven grams of cannabis a day and his initial counselling was to reduce his usage.

“We got it down to about eight bongs a day, so he was down to about half a gram from about seven grams,” Mr Kendall said.

“For quite a few months he did very, very well with that, sometimes he was smoking 50 bongs a week which is a massive decrease.

“And then we decided eight bongs was too much and it was time to give it away – that was when we referred him to Geelong’s withdrawal unit.”

Mr Matheson said he had a supportive partner of two years, and parents who had stood by him and he was keen to stay abstinent.

He has also finished his second art therapy project through Colac Area Health, as part of last week’s Drug Action Week.

Ms Berry, who is also an artist, led the classes of nine participants who will have their work displayed at Colac’s Studio 92 until Friday.

Mr Matheson said participants enjoyed the project, which involved weekly painting sessions for six weeks.

“Hopefully it’s a yearly thing because we really get a lot out of it,” he said.

“Thanks very much to Chris and Maude for getting it organised, they are fantastic people.

“For what they’ve done for me, I thank them immensely for the rest of my life.”

Detectives investigate the “disturbing” burglary of a Colac family’s house.

HEARTLESS thieves have trashed the home of a physically disabled Colac woman and her husband and stolen belongings and medication in a daylight burglary.

Detective Chris Potter of Colac Criminal Investigation Unit said a “large amount” of prescription medication was among stolen items when thieves forced their way into the Elliminyt home and ransacked every room.

He said the offender, or offenders, had rifled through cupboards, drawers and thrown the family’s belongings across the Harris Road property during the burglary, which happened between 8.30am and 2.30pm on Monday.

“They’ve stolen a large 3D television, a game console and a DVD player,” Det Potter said.

“They’ve taken a large amount of medication – if it was taken in large doses it’s dangerous and it may have some street value but we’re not sure,” he said.

Det Potter said the aggressive and heinous nature of the burglary was “disturbing”.

“Drawers have been upended and cupboards have been scattered around,” he said.

“Burglaries are not nice at any time but to have your house left in a mess, it’s just disturbing.”

Det Potter said police were unsure whether the offenders knew the house would have been unoccupied at the time of the theft but it appeared they had entered the house through a rear door.

He said the family was “distressed and disappointed”.

“They may have lost some family heirlooms, we’re not sure about that yet,” Det Potter said.

“One of the occupants has a disability and you would hope she hasn’t been targeted because of that,” he said.

“It would be sad to think someone is preying on the disabled in the community.”

Det Potter said police hoped the time the burglary happened meant someone might have seen suspicious activity in the Harris Road area.

He said the offenders would have needed a vehicle to transport the stolen items, particularly the “large” television. Warrnambool Crime Desk officers examined the house for forensic evidence. Det Potter urged people with information to contact Colac CIU or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Police have arrested seven people after drug raids in Colac and Camperdown.

POLICE  have arrested seven people from Colac and Camperdown after a series of raids which netted drugs including oxycontin, speed and cannabis.

Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Canavan of South West Investigation and Response Management led a team of more than 30 police and a sniffer dog during a series of early-morning raids in Colac, Camperdown and Terang yesterday.

Det Sgt Canavan said police arrested people at one Colac and six Camperdown properties for a range of offences including having trafficked and falsely obtained oxycontin, having possessed the amphetamine speed as well as one charge for a hydroponic cannabis crop.

He said police arrested a Colac man, in his 40s, with intent to summons him to court for having obtained oxycontin through a false presentation to a doctor for a prescription and then trafficking the drug.

Det Sgt Canavan described oxycontin as “poor man’s heroin”.

“It’s a commonly used and trafficked commodity obtained through prescription on false details or failed complaints in relation to level of pain,” he said.

“It’s generally prescribed for serious pain management and obviously it can be converted from a cheap prescription to a dollar value per tablet and it can be used in a number of ways.”

Det Sgt Canavan said the raids and arrests were a result of a long-term investigation into the trafficking of oxycontin and the amphetamine speed.

He said police charged and bailed the six people, aged from in their 20s up to 40s, arrested at Camperdown during the raids.

Det Sgt Canavan said police believed the people arrested were involved in selling the drugs in the Camperdown and Warrnambool areas.

“The arrests conducted were linked to an investigation so we knew what we were looking for in relation to the operation and a drug dog was used to search the premises,” he said.

“It was a very active day and the investigators are happy with the result,” Det Sgt Canavan said.

“At this stage the warrants were conducted to complete the investigation and bring the matters to a head.”

POLICE have arrested a Cororooke man and two Camperdown men after fresh raids across the Colac district targeting drug dealers.

Detectives raided four properties in the region which followed eight raids and seven arrests, including six in Camperdown and one in Colac, earlier in the week targeting Oxycontin, cannabis and amphetamine trafficking and possession offences.

Detective Chris Potter of Colac Criminal Investigation Unit said police went to a Langdons Road, Cororooke, property on Wednesday and arrested and charged a man in his mid-40s for having trafficked cannabis.

Det Potter said police also seized half a kilogram of cannabis during the raid.

He said the man co-operated with detectives during the arrest and police bailed him to appear at Colac Magistrate’s Court in October.

Meanwhile, Warrnambool detectives raided another three Camperdown properties and arrested two men.

Detective Senior Constable Elissa Smith of Warrnambool CIU said police arrested a Camperdown man, 37, at a Park Lane property and charged him with having trafficked Oxycontin.

Det Smith said detectives also arrested a 59-year-old Camperdown man at a Shaw Street property and charged him with having trafficked cannabis.

She said police bailed both men to appear at Warrnambool Magistrate’s Court in December.

This week’s raids and 10 arrests were the result of a long-term Warrnambool CIU investigation into drug trafficking, particularly Oxycontin which people can use as a substitute for heroin, in south-west Victoria.

More than 30 police and a police drug dog were involved in Tuesday’s raids.

Police arrested four men, 28, 29, 31 and 48, at Camperdown properties and one Colac woman, 39, for having trafficked Oxycontin.

A police spokesman said officers also arrested a Camperdown man, 43, for having cultivated cannabis after finding a hydroponic cannabis crop at his house.

Another Camperdown man, 44, is facing charges for having possessed Oxycontin and the amphetamine speed.

Police also seized blade weapons during two of the raids.

Police seized a shotgun, samurai sword and drugs in a raid at Port Campbell.

POLICE have seized a shotgun, samurai sword and drugs at a Port Campbell property.

Port Campbell and Cobden police and Warrnambool Crime Desk officers executed a firearms warrant at the property and found the unregistered double-barrel shotgun, Second World War relic sword and drugs.

Sergeant David Banks of Port Campbell police said police arrested a Port Campbell man, 30, who was at the property during the raid on Tuesday.

Sgt Banks said the seized drugs were “mainly cannabis”.

“The male was interviewed at Port Campbell police station and released on bail,” he said.

Sgt Banks said the man was banned from possessing guns because he was within five years of a serving a prison sentence.

“Police received information that the male, being a prohibited person, was in possession of a firearm,” he said.

Sgt Banks said the man would face firearms, weapons and drugs charges at Warrnambool Magistrate’s Court on November 26.

Colac’s health service has teamed up with two south-west Victorian agencies to tackle the region’s drug and alcohol problems.

COLAC’S health service has teamed up with two south-west Victorian agencies to tackle the region’s drug and alcohol problems.

Colac Area Health, the Western Region Alcohol and Drug Centre, known as WRAD, and Glenelg South Grampians Drug Treatment Services has formed the Right Path Consortium, which will use new therapeutic counselling services to help people with alcohol and drug issues.

The State Government has provided $554,291 for the pilot project, which will include a new community-based treatment program creating five new positions.

It is the first time the three agencies have successfully applied for funding together and the program is the first of its type in Victoria.

CAH’s family and community programs manager Ruth Payne said the funding would help address Colac and district’s rate of alcohol use and growing problems with methamphetamines.

“We will be able to be more flexible in how we work with families to address these problems,” Ms Payne said.

A Colac-based clinician will work with referred clients and their families to develop coordinated care plans.

“One of the priorities of the program is to understand the impacts on families,” Ms Payne said.

The program will introduce clinical counselling and support to reduce drug use and related harm.

The service will be available to people with alcohol and other drug addictions and ensuing mental health conditions as well as other issues affecting their lives.

It will involve clinicians based at Warrnambool, Portland and in Colac, a psychologist and team leader based at Warrnambool and shared across the three services.

WRAD is the lead agency in the consortium and its director Geoff Soma said the funding provided a boost to the services.

“It is a good initiative in that it recognises that the level of complexity in the client group requires more intensive counselling and support to overcome alcohol and drug and related problems,” Mr Soma said.

Throwing knives and drugs were part of a haul police seized in a Colac business raid.

POLICE have seized drugs, a sword and throwing knives during a raid on a Colac business.

Colac Criminal Investigation Unit Detective Chris Potter said police executed a drugs warrant at a Murray Street business, where they found a “small amount” of cannabis and methamphetamines, otherwise known as ice.

Det Potter said police arrested and charged a 43-year-old man on Friday with having possessed cannabis, amphetamines and weapons.

“We located a small amount of cannabis and some ice,” he said of the Friday morning raid.

“The weapons were a sword in a scabbard and a couple of throwing knives.”

Police have bailed the man, who will appear in the Colac Magistrate’s Court in December.

Homicide detective Ron Iddles has warned Colac about the dangers of ice, or methamphetamine.

A LEADING homicide investigator says Colac and district people can’t ignore the prominence of the drug “ice” in the community.

Homicide Squad Detective Senior Sergeant Ron Iddles spoke in Colac at a Blue Ribbon Foundation Homicide Night and told the crowd of more than 250 that ice, or methamphetamine, had become a “major contributor” to violent crime.

Det Sen Sgt Iddles said ice was present in communities across Victoria and the problem was growing.

“Ice has become more prevalent than heroin but I think more destructive than heroin,” he said.

“You could have someone on heroin, they might go and burg your house or the rest of it but you can still talk to those people,” Det Sen Sgt Iddles said.

“Ice has a massive affect on the brain, it kills many brain cells which aren’t recoverable and the thing is they become so irrational on ice – they mightn’t sleep for three or four days and then go and do something.”

Den Sen Sgt Iddles said people became violent and aggressive when they were “coming down”, to the extent where they failed to realise what they were doing.

“We’ve had some horrific murders committed by people on ice – in my experiences I think it’s a major contributing factor to a lot of our violent crime, including serious assaults,” he said.

“The last five or six homicides I’ve investigated have all related to ice,” Det Sen Sgt Iddles said.

“It’s very, very addictive and has become more expensive than heroin and as expensive as cocaine, and it’s more readily available – you’re talking $1000 a gram.”

Det Sen Sgt Iddles said he had travelled Victoria for investigations and he said ice was affecting every rural community.

He said people needed to pay attention to people close to them and not be afraid to take action against ice.

“If you notice a change in your child’s behaviour, one of the classic examples is they stay up for two or three days, or once they have used for a while they develop scabs normally on their arms – they scratch their arms as if there is something there but there is nothing.

“Then all of a sudden they crash and they might sleep non-stop for two days and if you see a change like that you need to be alert and get some sort of counselling and help.

“You can sit down and bury your head in the sand and say it wouldn’t happen in Colac but the reality is that it is.”

The use of methamphetamine or ice is driving crime in Colac district.

DRUG crime has increased almost 50-per-cent in the Colac Otway and Surf Coast shires during the past year.

But Surf Coast Police Service Area Inspector Peter Seel says a police focus on drug crime contributed to the jump in offences.

Victoria Police’s crime statistics comparing 2011-12 with 2012-13 show a 46.9-per-cent increase in drug crime, but an 11.7-per-cent drop in overall crime, based on the crime rate per 100,000 people.

Mr Seel said use of the methamphetamine “ice” was driving crime in the district.

“I think ice is a driver of crime, both in the sense that people that use ice are more likely to commit other crimes like burglary, it also impacts their ability to act responsibly, you’re looking at things like assaults,” he said.

“We have concerns about ice, obviously that’s a huge concern for us, but in saying that we have had charges being laid for other drugs, heroin, cocaine, and cannabis.”

Drug offences in the Surf Coast PSA increased from 80 in 2011-12 to 119 in 2012-13 on a raw offences basis.

Mr Seel said police were working to stop ice users and associated crimes.

“Obviously every situation is different, our members try to make sure incidents are resolved with the least force possible,” he said.

“We also have the assistance when we can of mental health practitioners and drug counsellors.

“It’s a combination of not just enforcement but getting people help.”

Colac Criminal Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Dave Renney said the unit had had a crackdown on drugs in the past couple of months.

“We’re always receiving intelligence in relation to drug crime from the community,” Det Renney said.

“We probably did have a bigger approach to it the past couple of months,” he said.

Det Renney said he expected drug crime to drop in the coming months after the recent focus.

Meanwhile, assaults outside family violence dropped 32.6 per cent, and theft from motor vehicles dropped 37.4 per cent.

Theft of motor vehicles increased to 62 offences from 48, and the number of robberies went up to six from four.

Mr Seel said residential burglaries were down on the previous year, but he would like to see more vigilance from holiday home owners.

“A reduction of 24.5 per cent is a tremendous result; police have worked hard to ensure recidivist offenders are targeted,” he said.

“However, many of these burglaries are still being committed on holiday homes, which have been left vacant for weeks and months at a time.”

One man is in jail and another faces community service after a drug-debt bashing.

ONE man is in jail and another faces community service after the abduction and bashing of a Colac man over a drug debt.

A 20-year-old man pleaded guilty in the Colac Magistrate’s Court this week to unlawful assault for his part in the September crime.

Another man pleaded guilty to having made threats to kill after he phoned the 22-year-old victim’s mother and told her “if he doesn’t pay his debt today, we’ll come around and kill him”.

Two other men, an alleged drug dealer, 29, and an alleged standover man, 30, are yet to enter a plea to their charges.

The 29-year-old man is behind bars on charges including false imprisonment, having intentionally caused injury, two charges of assault with a weapon and having trafficked and possessed amphetamines.

The 30-year-old is facing false imprisonment and assault offences.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Scott Bell told the court the victim started selling drugs for a 29-year-old Colac man in June, but ended up owing him money.

Sen Const Bell said the alleged drug dealer found out where the victim lived, and went with his 30-year-old co-accused to pick up the man, took his wallet, phone and told him to come with them.

The court heard about the victim’s hour-long ordeal where his alleged attackers kept him against his will, periodically bashed him and broke his nose, and potentially broke his eye socket.

Sen Const Bell said the 20-year-old arrived at the place of the ordeal on foot, and started an argument with the victim over an unrelated matter.

He said the man punched the victim once in the face.

The man’s lawyer Robert Morgan said the assault charge and being in prison was a “wakeup call” for his client.

“The first time he got to see his daughter walk he was behind bars,” Mr Morgan said.

“He doesn’t want to waste any more time in jail missing out on his daughter’s life,” he said.

The court heard the man’s assault charge had breached a suspended sentence.

Magistrate Stephen Myall sentenced the man to 76 days imprisonment on the breaches of a community corrections order and the unlawful assault charge.

Mr Myall also reinstated the man’s suspended sentence of three months.

The man who made threats to kill received a nine-month community corrections order with 30 hours of unpaid work, on top of a previous CCO he received on an unrelated matter last week.

The alleged standover man will face court again on April 28, while the alleged drug dealer will apply for bail at Geelong next week.

POLICE have charged a Colac man with drug trafficking after finding cannabis and methamphetamine at a Wynne Street property.

Detective Senior Constable Mick Palmer of the Colac police crime investigation unit said Colac police and the Victoria Police dog squad searched the Colac house on Wednesday morning.

“As a result of that police located some drugs and arrested a 27-year-old man,” Sen Const Palmer said.

“He appeared before Geelong Magistrate’s court Wednesday afternoon and has been bailed to appear before a magistrate’s court on March 11,” he said.

Man hurt during burglary

A CAMPERDOWN man suffered head injuries after a burglar hit him with a piece of wood during a home invasion.

Acting Senior Sergeant Sean Halley of Camperdown police said the victim went to investigate a noise in his garage about 4.30am on Wednesday.

Act Sen Sgt Halley said the man disturbed a burglar who assaulted him.

“It appears that he has been hit on the head with a piece of wood,” he said.

“He’s been taken to hospital for observation, he received some bruising and swelling.”

Act Sen Sgt Halley appealed to the public for information about the break-in and assault.

“We’re seeking anyone with information to speak to Crime Stoppers,” he said.