WA police roll out meth X-ray truck

A police truck equipped with X-ray technology is being deployed around WA in a bid to stop methamphetamine getting across the border by road or in the mail.

Australia's first X-ray-equipped police truck will help disrupt the increasingly sneaky ways criminals use to smuggle methamphetamine into Western Australia.

The truck will be deployed on transit routes across the state including the Eyre Highway and at mail packaging centres and freight handling facilities.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts says the truck is the nation's first.

"Criminal syndicates are being smarter and cleverer in terms of hiding meth and other drugs, and getting them into our state," Ms Roberts told reporters on Monday.

"This will save police a lot of work having to open up belongings, take apart vehicles and the like."

Outgoing Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan says a lot of drug detection work relies on intelligence, but sometimes discoveries are serendipitous.

"We're finding of course not just methamphetamine, but a whole range of drugs and other types of illegal material - firearms, explosives - so we expect to use this truck very extensively," Mr O'Callaghan said.

WA has the ignominious title of Australia's meth capital and while recent sewerage testing results show a dip in use, it's too early to tell whether the downward trend will continue, Ms Roberts said.


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Source: AAP


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