Rt Hon John Key

Prime Minister

26 May 2014

Over $6 million to go towards anti-P initiatives

Prime Minister John Key has today announced that over $1.8 million recovered under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act will go towards helping pregnant women and mothers of young children with drug and alcohol problems.

The initiative is one of seven to receive money in the latest round of Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act funding.

“When I launched the Methamphetamine Action Plan in 2009, we made a commitment that money taken from those who profit from drugs would be used to target the drug trade and help those affected by it get treatment,” says Mr Key.

“We have now allocated over $10 million since November to initiatives that do just that.’’

Since the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act came into force in December 2009, the Police have obtained forfeiture orders for assets worth around $38 million, over half of which are related to methamphetamine offences.

While some of that money goes towards procedural factors, like repaying people left out of pocket by criminals, legal and administration costs, a portion of the money is set aside for initiatives targeting problems caused by drug and alcohol abuse.

The successful bids in this funding round are:

• $1,867,000 to add 10 investigators to assist with cases against organised crime and drug syndicates. (Police)
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• $1,811,000 to double existing support for mothers of young children, and pregnant women who have alcohol and drug issues. (Health)
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• $835,000 to fund the legal costs for civil recovery actions taken under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act. (Police)
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• $490,000 to help Police crack down on cannabis growers. (Police)
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• $679,000 to purchase software to help Police extract and recover data from devices seized under warrant. (Police)
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• $300,000 to help offenders with alcohol or drug issues re-integrate into their communities. (Corrections)
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• $105,000 to further support offenders seeking treatment through the Alcohol and Drug Treatment Courts. (Justice)
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“We’re also looking to fund research to better understand the social costs of illicit drug and alcohol use, and the prevalence of both mental health disorders and substance abuse in prisoners,’’ says Mr Key.

The latest Indicators and Progress Report for the Government’s Methamphetamine Action Plan, also released today, shows the price, purity and availability of methamphetamine remains high.

The average price of a gram of methamphetamine increased from $678 in 2012 to $684 in 2013.

The report also shows that since 2004 more offenders are receiving drug and alcohol assessments as a condition of their sentence – up from 8 per cent in 2004 to 20 per cent in 2013.

“It’s great to see that more people are taking up drug treatment options. I am confident that all the measures we are taking will continue to put pressure on the P Trade, save lives and make our communities safer,” says Mr Key.

The report is available at www.dpmc.govt.nz/dpmc/publications/methamphetamine.

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