FEDERAL Member for New England, Barnaby Joyce welcomed the Coalition Government’s announcement that $1 million in funding would be made available to Crime Stoppers to roll out a national ‘Dob in a Dealer’ campaign to help combat Australia’s ice scourge.

“The fight against ice can only be effective when the community and law enforcement agencies work together,” he said.

“Information from the public plays an essential role in helping police and other agencies to bust drug manufacturers and prevent illegal drugs from ending up on our streets.”

Mr Joyce said the national campaign asks community members to report people who are dealing illegal drugs as part of a national initiative to crack down on the supply of ice at our borders and in our communities.

“Ice is a dirty drug. No class  – the druggy version of picking your nose and eating it,” Mr Joyce said. But it is loyal; it will stick with you to the end, and it's efficient too, gets to the end, socially, economically, personally quickly.”

Minister for Justice Michael Keenan said the campaign would be modelled on a similar Crime Stoppers initiative in Victoria which resulted in information increases of 100 per cent to 400 per cent across its 15 regional campaign sites.

“Ice poses the highest risk of all illegal drugs to our community because of the violent, menacing and irrational way people behave under its influence,” Mr Keenan said.

“With more than 60 per cent of Australia’s most significant organised crime groups involved in the ice market and about 200,000 Australians reported to have used ice in the last 12 months, it is up to all of us – government, industry, law enforcement agencies, health workers, educators and the community – to work together to remove this ongoing threat to Australia.”

The campaign will be rolled out in consultation with the states and territories but all instances of crime or suspicious behaviour can be reported to Crime Stoppers now on 1800 333 000.