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Ice Wars

ABC's doco series is never easy viewing, but reveals how we are losing a war on our doorstep.

It’s taken a long time to get there, but thankfully ABC’s Ice Wars is worth the wait.

Originally due last year, the four part series from Northern Pictures is embedded with the NSW Police, taking cameras to the frontline of raids and medical impacts from crystal methamphetamine: Ice.

A morning raid of a house in Sydney’s western suburbs illustrates how homes in unassuming streets can operate as drug labs -that’s nothing new and has been somewhat glorified by US cable TV shows. But this series will seek to elaborate on just how widespread the ice scourge is. It has overtaken ecstasy, cocaine and heroin as Australia’s illicit drug of choice, now second only to cannabis in popularity.

Men connected to the lab (one of whom asks not to be filmed) play dumb over the evidence the squad uncovers. With cameras present officers surely do everything by the book here, with lots of polite questions that would probably get short shrift otherwise. But we learn that “amateur scientists dealing with dangerous chemicals” is a lethal cocktail for a neighbourhood disaster zone, which send alarm bells ringing for anybody thinking problems are isolated to the other side of the fence.

Det. Sgt Alison Smith is in charge of disposing of chemicals -a major headache after any raid. “Sometimes women have a different way of looking at things,” she says. “Maybe things the boys haven’t thought of.” This will be the first time cameras go into a warehouse where toxic evidence is stored before it is disposed.

Ashley Baker, nursing manager at Blackwood Hospital, is responsible for a patient, Aaron, who is schizophrenia and is a regular ice and cannabis user. 40% of the psychiatric patients at Blackwood have used ice. “I feel like I have to use it forever,” Aaron explains. “I like it too much but I don’t want to hurt anyone.” Now the hospital has to decide if he is well enough to be discharged, or if he is too much of a danger to himself and others.

“You create a thick skin,” Ashley says of his work. “I used to be a sensitive person but the wife says I have toughened up.”

A landlady living on the Sunshine Coast recounts a story of how a tenant living below her would use chemicals that seeped into her room above. Little did she know the feelings of paranoia she was experiencing were the result of criminal activity. This brings us to the practical question of how labs need to be cleaned up after discovery.

A toxicologist tells is “It’s not like Breaking Bad,” yet the police insist the majority of lab cooks are indeed middle-aged white men. Even a publicity shot uses an unmistakeable yellow hazmat suit. Are you sure it isn’t kinda cool….?

Pop culture references notwithstanding Ice Wars adopts a very serious tone, underpinned by the sheer statistics and social impact of the crime. There are plenty of police, legal and medical experts painting a grim picture -and one we are clearly losing. Even Senator Jacqui Lambie will detail how it has penetrated family members in subsequent episodes.

Ice Wars is not easy viewing, but will hopefully shed more light on a national emergency.

This should really be followed by a Q&A special, please Aunty…?

Ice Wars airs 8:30pm Tuesdays on ABC.

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