Illegal tobacco crackdown in Victoria has come too late, says ex-policeman

Victorian government criticised for not acting sooner to combat illicit tobacco trade In short: A former federal police officer says the state government has taken too long to give Victoria Police stronger powers to combat the illicit tobacco trade. In September, inspectors and police were given new powers to close shops found to be selling illegal tobacco for an initial 90 days. Premier Ben Carroll says the government should have acted sooner but insists new laws are working. A former federal police officer who established Border Force's illegal tobacco unit has slammed the Victorian government for its handling of the booming black market. Rohan Pike, who founded the Tobacco Strike Team, criticised the Labor government for not moving quick enough. "Our government simply hasn't cared about this problem for many years and it's just allowed it to fester and get completely out of control," he said. Last month new laws came into effect that gave inspectors and police power to close businesses found to be selling illegal tobacco products. At least 51 closure notices have been issued since the laws came into effect on September 9. Vendors can be forced to close for up to 90 days initially and will be publicly listed on Tobacco Licensing Victoria's website. Mr Pike said while new closure powers incentivised Victoria Police to conduct more raids, it had done little to impact the illicit market which has been at the centre of murders and hundreds of arson attacks. "Victoria Police have been screaming for closure laws for many years now," he said. "It does still feel a bit like a whack-a-mole process that we have in Victoria, even with the additional powers." Premier concedes government should have acted sooner It comes as new data from Queensland showed state legislation strengthening powers to shutdown illegal tobacco shops had led to a 55 per cent jump in legal cigarette sales. The federal MP for Bruce in Melbourne's south-east and Assistant Customs Minister Julian Hill said Queensland's crackdown was making it harder for criminals and "helping turn the tide" on Australia's illicit tobacco trade. "This really reinforces the critical importance and urgency of the states and territories shutting the shops as it has an immediate impact," he said. Victorian Premier Ben Carroll conceded the state government should have acted sooner but insisted progress had been made since the new laws came into effect. "We've actually seen more and more tobacco shops being closed," he said. "We should have acted on this sooner but the inspectors are out there." Mr Pike said under-resourcing had hindered the work of tobacco enforcement for years. "We've been going for years horribly understaffed [and] underpowered," he said. "They're turning up without the resources, without the expertise to shut this down." Earlier this year, the Victorian government boosted the number of Tobacco Licensing Victoria inspectors from just 14 to 42 across the state. Most of the inspectors were Melbourne-based, according to Mr Pike, which he said put additional pressure on police officers in regional communities. "It falls back on Victoria Police to do their work and they're going to have to drop some of their priorities at crime types in other areas in order to turn their attention to illicit tobacco," he said. Mr Pike said enforcement alone was not the answer. "We need to change the policy settings at a federal level in order to enhance the effectiveness of some of these enforcement efforts," he said.