No Drug Testing on P&O

[Dizziedi]

I have just read this in the Daily Telegraph:

 

Federal government rejects coroner's drug screen recommendation

• From:The Daily Telegraph
  
• June 23, 201212:00AM
  

THE federal government has rejected a coroner's recommendation that cruise ship passengers undergo drug screenings and sniffer dog inspections.

 

The recommendations were made following the death of Dianne Brimble nearly 10 years ago.

Ms Brimble, 42, died on board the P&O cruise ship Pacific Sky in September 2002 after consuming a toxic mix of the drug fantasy and alcohol.

After a lengthy inquest, NSW senior deputy state coroner Jacqueline Milledge in December 2010 made nine recommendations to the government, arguing Australia should adopt laws similar to the US legislation regulating the cruise ship industry.

Specifically, she recommended increased drug detection and deterrent procedures - including the use of scanners and drug detection dogs.

She also recommended a federal police presence on voyages.

 

Attorney-General Nicola Roxon yesterday said some of the recommendations would require Australia to act "inconsistently" with its international obligations and could not be accepted.

"As to the coroner's recommendation in relation the use of drug detector dogs and drug screening at all Australian ports, the government has not agreed ... as it is of the view the current approach to managing border risks is appropriate," she said.

[Sutho]

You would assume that it would be in their best interests to to drug screening like at airports. Nobody wants illegal drugs on a cruise ship and users ruining their holiday. If the cruise lines are screening bags as they say they do then it should not be too much trouble to be on the lookout for drugs at the same time.

 

Given the news earlier this year about Aurora and its drug discoveries the ships crew obviously know somehow if someone has brought it on. I am not sure how but they obviously knew for several large drug busts to occur during that cruise.

[thied]

There should be Drug Testing on all P&O Australia cruise ships, only if it is needed.

 

blind Fredy could find the drugs on P&O Australia cruises.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Drugs have always been a part of some of the crews life on board cruise ships.

We were on a cruise in South America once and the talk of the ship was about a very popular waiter who was stabbed in the stomach and almost bled to death in the back alley of a notorious SA city when he was trying to buy drugs.

 

[room010]

I totally agree. I happened to be on P&O Pacific Bogan on the infamous "Brimble" cruise and when I found out what happened I wasn't surprised at all.

 

Edit. I posted the same time as KK. The drug use I witnessed was by the passengers, not the crew.

[johndon]

drug user intelligence is on the ball to such an extent that enforcement officers know who they are looking for. A perusal of passenger lists would alert them to any potential drug running or users. How do you think they targeted Aurora??? It certainly was not from a random check. Take my word for it.

 

John

[thied]

It is and would be so easy to get drugs on to any P&O AUstralia cruise ship, be it Aworker OR a passanger. if game enough to do so.

[Sutho]

You know come to think of it if people need drugs to have a good time on a cruise ship then they are either keeping extremely boring company or lead extremely boring and miserable lives. All the cruises I have been on have been fun and exciting. If people need to pop a pill to have a good time then certainly something is missing! Like an old miser would say why go out to a park or event when you can just pop a pill. Thats not life.

 

Personally I would not take the risk of trying to sneak something onboard as the consequences are too great if you are caught.

 

If they are examining lists of passenger names then that would indicate me it is either customs/law enforcement and they have access to criminal database computers to alert them to suspects.

[Sandielle]

You know come to think of it if people need drugs to have a good time on a cruise ship then they are either keeping extremely boring company or lead extremely boring and miserable lives. All the cruises I have been on have been fun and exciting. If people need to pop a pill to have a good time then certainly something is missing! Like an old miser would say why go out to a park or event when you can just pop a pill. Thats not life.

 

I agree with you there! :D I still don't know what marijuana smells like, and I've had a good time on every cruise.

 

The last few times we've come back from a cruise there hasn't been a dog in sight - we've just handed in our declaration cards and been directed to the door. Takes all of 10 minutes maximum to get from the gangway to the roadside to meet our friends. (It's a bit of a drawn-out pathway at Portside!!)

[thied]

You know come to think of it if people need drugs to have a good time on a cruise ship then they are either keeping extremely boring company or lead extremely boring and miserable lives. All the cruises I have been on have been fun and exciting. If people need to pop a pill to have a good time then certainly something is missing! Like an old miser would say why go out to a park or event when you can just pop a pill. Thats not life.

 

Personally I would not take the risk of trying to sneak something onboard as the consequences are too great if you are caught.

 

If they are examining lists of passenger names then that would indicate me it is either customs/law enforcement and they have access to criminal database computers to alert them to suspects.

a criminal database has nothing to do with it, because a criminal database only has a base of who has been found.

[Debsta]

Nicola Roxon is a twit....:eek:

 

Dat is all :D

 

OK I'll add more. The major drug smugglers are always under surveillance so normal screening wouldn't affect them..........they're good at it!

 

What the recommendations are alluding to are regular passengers who use who would get picked up. And why not? They do it at the airport for crying out loud........why not a cruise ship. Perhaps Nicola needs to take her little baggie with her when she cruises :rolleyes: :eek: :D :p

[smeyer418]

FYI under English common law a border search does not need probable cause or even even reasonable suspicion. The US does these searches all the time as do many commonwealth countries(see the Bermuda threads on cruise critic as an example). US law is based on the same English common law.

When entering a country(and that is what a cruise ship does) all countries and I believe both NZ and Australia do all the time conduct quite invasive searches all the time. Sniffer dogs just help limit these. I find it hard to believe that these countries with their very restrictive immigration policies don't do the same.

 

http://www.customs.gov.au/site/page4241.asp

 

http://www.customs.govt.nz/news/resources/corporate/Documents/Detectordogs.pdf

 

The US law in a nutshell

 

 

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2011/04/border-search/

[johndon]

Smeyer418

 

Well said. There are some niaive posts on this thread. You dont have to be "caught" previously to be a suspect. In addition to that, any law enforcement officer or properly trained security officer can spot a potential carrier or user a mile off.

 

John

[rugbypopsie]

I don't think most people would object to walking past a sniffer dog...they are so quick...even running the passengers baggage past them would not pose a problem. As for drug running that is an entirely different matter I would hope they are taking some measures to prevent that.

 

Sue