More officers eagerly awaited

An increase in staff numbers over the next few years cannot come soon enough for police as the "prevalence" of methamphetamine in Central Otago rises.

Detective Senior Sergeant Malcolm Inglis said the problem was region-wide and not limited to urban spots such as Alexandra and Cromwell.

"It's obvious that there is [activity in rural areas].

"We're seeing it from Ranfurly all the way to Cromwell and some of the smaller areas like Roxburgh."

It follows a statistical surge of methamphetamine-related arrests in Oamaru, as reported in the Otago Daily Times recently.

An expanding police presence throughout the region was also gathering momentum.

Det Snr Sgt Inglis said there would be a reasonable allocation of officers to the region through the Government's campaign to have 1800 new police officers on streets nationwide by July 2020.

"It's going to give us quite a few extra staff to target meth dealers and drug users.

"So that's going to be a big plus for the area over the next few years."

More than $200,000 worth of methamphetamine and more than $30,000 in cash, along with other drugs, were seized in Queenstown on June 10.

It followed raids in Alexandra and Cromwell a few days before, where methamphetamine and ammunition were found at the properties.

Police were focused on assisting users into treatment programmes, Det Snr Sgt Inglis said.

"If we can stop people taking meth, it'll drive the demand away."

However, the primary target was people dealing and bringing it into the area.