Crime Facts Info

No. 7: Rates remain high for opiate use among police detainees

ISSN 1445-7288
11 September 2001

Drug Use Monitoring in Australia (DUMA): 2000 Annual Report on Drug Use Among Police Detainees, a report released by the Australian Institute of Criminology, shows that Bankstown and Parramatta sites have a higher prevalence of opiate use among males detained by police compared with East Perth and Southport. Figures also show that the percentage of male detainees testing positive to opiates in Southport and East Perth have remained relatively stable for two years. This compares to a steady increase in the Parramatta site, where opiate use continued to increase almost every quarter, until the end of 2000. Opiate use among detainees in Bankstown has fluctuated over this same period, although decreases can be seen from mid-2000. The DUMA annual report also provides information on male detainees testing positive for cannabis, amphetamines and benzodiazepines, as well as their drug and crime history.

Percentage testing positive to opiates by site, by quarter, 1999-2000

Source

• Makkai, T. & McGregor, K. 2001, Drug Use Monitoring in Australia: 2000 Annual Report on Drug Use Among Police Detainees, Research and Public Policy Series, no. 37, Australian Institute of Criminology, Canberra.

Full report available on AIC web site: http://www.aic.gov.au/publications/rpp/37/index.html