Police are calling on local clubs to take a 'zero-tolerance' approach to drug use within the community, saying cultural change cannot come from enforcement alone.

The Wangaratta Police Service Are Neighbourhood Policing Forum was held virtually in recent weeks, where local police addressed stakeholders and interested community members on enforcement and heard directly from the community on their most pressing issues.

One of the topics discussed at the forum involved the use of drugs and alcohol within the community.

Acting Inspector and Wangaratta Local Area Commander Nathan Ractliffe said solutions in relation to drug use within community organisations and sporting clubs would not lie solely with police.

“If we are called because there are drugs then we’ll respond, but I think it’s a cultural thing,” he said.

“The club would need to set some parameters and guidelines about if it’s detected or if people see drugs in their clubs, they take a zero-tolerance approach and try and root it out of their organisation.

“A lot of police are involved in sporting clubs...as a father and a community member, my view is if they’re introducing drugs to our sporting environment, it could be the best player in the club or the league, then we don’t them basically.

“It really needs to be the community that say, ‘we don’t stand for it’.”

The Railway Hotel in Wangaratta made a public zero tolerance stance against drug use in its venue, saying it had become too blatant for others at the pub.

Act Insp Ractliffe said other key topics discussed at the forum included theft prevention on people’s properties, youth crime and assaults.

“We get an increase in non-family violent assaults in our visitation periods, our long weekends, Christmas and New Years,” he said.

“We get lots of people on the river congregating, drinking alcohol and assaults occur because not everyone gets along.”

Act Insp Ractliffe said Wangaratta police would continue to invest in community engagement, starting with another annual community engagement initiative, the community sentiment survey.

The force is hoping for 300 responses to the survey throughout June, double the amount of last year.

“If we’re building trust and confidence in the community, we’re hitting the spot where we need to be,” he said.