POLICE HEROIN SQUADS FOR DRUG CENTRES

Special police heroin squads are likely to be part of the Bracks
Government's plans to prevent drug dealing at heroin injecting
centres. Health Minister John Thwaites yesterday said police would be
responsible for ensuring drug dealing did not take place around the
five centres that are planned.

And he said this could involve special heroin squads patrolling the
centres.

"There is discussion (between police and the Penington committee on
drugs) whether there should be special police patrols at the centres
and what measures are needed to reduce drug trafficking in general,"
Mr Thwaites said.

"Police have the lead role in preventing drug trafficking around
heroin injecting centres.

"They will be extremely vigilant around these areas."

Mr Thwaites was commenting on an exclusive Herald Sun report on
Saturday that showed there was widespread drug dealing immediately
outside a Swiss injecting centre. Premier Steve Bracks secretly
visited the Berne facility in late January.

Police ignore the drug dealing outside the centre where heroin is
openly bought and sold at its front door.

Mr Thwaites ruled out the centres hiring private security firms to
deal with drug traffickers.

"The security around the centres will be handled by police," he said.
"The security should always be handled by the police."

He said security measures would finally be determined by the Penington
committee examining heroin injecting centres.

Professor David Penington - who heads the committee - was unavailable
for comment last night.

Mr Thwaites said centre operators would be responsible for preventing
drug dealing inside the injecting centres.

"That could involve, as it does in Germany, regular users signing a
contract stating they would not engage in drug dealing in or around
the centres," he said.

Anyone caught by police or centre operators in European injecting
rooms dealing drugs are immediately banned permanently from the centres.

Mr Thwaites said the government would close the injecting centres if
it were shown drug trafficking increased during their 18-month trial
period.

"If the trial leads to an increase in drug trafficking and the police
are not happy with the way things are going, then that would mean an
end to heroin injecting centres," he said.

Mr Thwaites said the government would work with police to ensure the
injecting rooms did not encourage drug dealing on or near the facilities.

But he acknowledged more than five million needles were distributed to
drug users every year in Melbourne, making drug dealing a difficult
activity to police.