AFTER witnessing first hand the devastating effects of illicit drug use on families a former Busselton detective has changed his line of work to help combat the scourge.
Working in the Western Australia police force for 25 years and more recently the officer in charge of the Busselton Detectives, David Beard is changing his approach from catching drug users to educating them.
Mr Beard saw The Drug Detection Agency online and thought it would be a good way to create a drug-free South West.
Based in Busselton, Mr Beard will be visiting schools and businesses throughout the entire South West educating students, parents and work place employees on illicit drug use.
"I wasn't interested in catching drug users anymore and saw the opportunity to educate those in the workplace and create a positive change in people's lives," Mr Beard said.
"With methamphetamine a hot topic these days everyone needs to understand the dangers of using it, the dangers of it in the workplace and how to help somebody if you think they are using.
"It's not just methamphetamine use, it's all drugs whether illicit or prescribed medication that is abused will affect someone's judgement."
With a mobile on-site drug and alcohol testing van Mr Beard will visit workplaces with state of the art drug testing methods that can identify all types of drugs, illicit, prescription and the ever changing designer drugs such as synthetic cannabis.
The company is based around creating a safer work place by having a fair and effective drug and alcohol policy in place in line with management and employee training.
Mr Beard said the last thing an employer wants is somebody turning up to work on a Monday after a huge bender the previous weekend.
"I want to create a safer working environment for people in the region," he said.
Mr Beard is hoping to deliver community education sessions to high school students. "Drugs and their effects is a community problem and teenagers can be vulnerable," he said.
"We have a smart phone drug app for managers, parents and teenagers which informs them about the different types of drugs and the danger of taking them.
"We also have the ability to assist employers and the Family Court with drug detection through obtaining a hair sample."
Mr Beard said a sample of someone's hair could show a minimum of three months of drug use.He said it detected people who choose a lifestyle of drug use as opposed to a one off use.
"We also offer a unique service where we can assist property owners and managers with testing of homes if they believe methamphetamine has been smoked or manufactured in a home," Mr Beard said.
"We are not about catching drug users. We are about ensuring safety in the workplace and the community. People have the right to go to work and they have the same right to go home that night."
Mr Beard owns the second Drug Detection Agency franchise in the state, for more information contactdavid.beard@tdda.com.
