THERE is something intrinsically uncomfortable – even un-Australian – about being a dobber.
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The mere word carries with it negative connotations that are ingrained in people’s psyches from the earliest age.
So-called dobbers at primary school often find themselves ostracised by their peers – far more so than the perpetrators of minor misdeeds.
According to the rules of the playground, the ability to keep one’s mouth shut is generally valued far more than the ability to tell the truth.
However, when it comes to tackling the scourge of drugs in our community, it is everyone’s responsibility to be a dobber.
Yesterday, Bendigo police and Crime Stoppers launched the latest “Dob in a Dealer” campaign.
The two-week blitz was last held in Bendigo in 2014 and resulted in a massive 375 per cent increase in drug-related reports to police.
The use and abuse of illicit drugs is one of the biggest drivers of crime in this community and very few people are unaffected.
Has your house been broken into? The chances are fairly high the act was committed by a drug addict seeking to fund their habit.
As its name suggests, the Dob in a Dealer campaign is not targeting the people hooked on drugs, but rather those who peddle the stuff.
It is the dealers pumping these increasingly destructive substances into society – making money of other people’s misery – that are in the crosshairs.
We demand a lot from our police officers, but the reality is they simply cannot be everywhere at once.
They rely on residents to be their eyes and ears out in the community and to pass that knowledge on.
People should have absolutely no qualms about picking up the phone, dialling 1800 333 000 and dobbing in someone they suspect of dealing drugs.
Cars coming and going at odd times and unusual odours emanating from a property are just two potential signs that something might be going on.
If in doubt, make the call. Your information might just be the crucial tip our law enforcement officers need to remove a dealer and their drugs from the street.
After all, it might just save someone’s life.
- Ross Tyson, deputy editor