The Wire

In Queensland, the government took the radical step two years ago, of trialling extended police powers to respond to people affected by volatile substance misuse, or VSM. The powers allow police to remove volatile substances – and take affected people to so-called places of safety until intoxication wears off. Different trial areas employed various means of intervention to get young people to places of safety and provide further help – with the success of one region leading evaluators to suggest four state government departments work together to help affected people. With chroming and petrol sniffing causing serious concern across the country, the review will be of interest to other Australian jurisdictions hoping to stem the growing addiction. Dr Mark Lynch, Deputy Director of Research and Prevention at Queensland’s Crime and Misconduct Commission believes the best system in trials, saw people taken to a safe place by police, with one or two days elapsing before social workers provided connections to a relevant support organization.