Dob in dealer, cut crime rate

The newest investigator to join the ranks of Narrogin detectives is calling on the community to dob in local drug dealers.

Detective Senior Constable Mitchell Kirk said Narrogin police and detectives were receivinglimited intelligence from the community.

“For drug dealers and other crimes, it is extremely important (to receive community information),” he said. “Our job is to act on behalf of the community, we require the community’s assistance to do our job.

“Without their information, we’re quite hamstrung and people don’t realise how important their information is.”

Det. Sen-Const. Kirk, pictured, said it was a common misconception that police had the community’s knowledge of Narrogin’s drug trade.

“Their most common thought is ‘everyone knows that guy is a drug dealer, everybody knows this, everybody knows that’, but nobody is calling us,” he said. “All it takes is one person picking up the phone to let us know what is happening in their street or what’s happening in town.

“Drugs in Narrogin, as far as information goes, is quite limited, that’s why we’re appealing to the community.”

Drug supply and volume of crime were intrinsically linked, he said.

“Petty stealing and things as serious as breaking into someone’s house, a lot of those thefts are motivated by the need to get drugs,” he said. “If a drug dealer has something in stock, they’ll tell their network ... and if there are drugs around to be bought, people will be trying to get the money to buy drugs.

“If we start bringing down those suppliers and drugs are more limited in supply, consequentially, the volume of crime will decrease.”

Det. Sen-Const. Kirk said the best way to inform police was through Crime Stoppers or their local police station. Recently taking up the post, he has a decade of experience with WA Police, last working with Karratha detectives on cases from burglary to homicide.

“Most of my experience lies in child abuse and drug dealing,” he said. “I’m a specialist child interviewer, something I’m really passionate about is the child abuse aspect of my job, which unfortunately does happen.”