INJECTING ROOM CHAOS FEARED

Sydney's safe injecting room might attract droves of heroin addicts
and dealers and lead to a breakdown in public order in the area, the
State's leading crime expert has warned.

Dr Don Weatherburn, director of the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and
Research, also urged police not to go in "boots and all" when the
Government-sanctioned trial begins later this year in Kings Cross.

"There is a puerile tug-of-war between drug enforcement and treatment
which shouldn't be going on," he said. "When heroin users get
intimidated they go into unsafe practices like needle sharing and we
need to avoid that."

In a survey of 511 drug users in Redfern, Marrickville and Cabramatta,
the bureau found very high levels of contact with police.

But the Premier said last night that the impact of safe injecting rooms
was still unknown.

"Nobody knows whether an injecting room will make a difference," Mr
Carr said. "That is why the drug summit recommended a trial and the
Parliament voted in favour of it. That is why we are running a strict
trial in only one place. The jury is still out."

But the Opposition police spokesman, Mr Andrew Tink, said: "There is
going to be trouble because the Government-sanctioned supply of an
illegal substance will attract dealers and the dilemma for police is
they don't yet know what they can do about it."

The deputy president of the NSW Police Association, Mr Mark Burgess,
said police were anxious that there be no "unintended consequences"
from the injecting room.

"It is not a free rein for people to peddle drugs but we do need to
have our role defined. I don't imagine police will be harassing people
outside injecting rooms but they won't be sitting there either."

In a report released yesterday, Dr Weatherburn concluded that
"problems of public order" could be worsened by the addition ofa
single injecting room.

"Unless they [injecting rooms] are widespread they may attract
congregations of heroin users. This, in turn, is likely to create
problems of public order and threaten the social amenity of places
where safe injection rooms are located. If heroin dealers follow in
the wake of heroin users these problems will be further
exacerbated."

Last night, Dr Weatherburn, who will monitor the impact of the
injecting room on nearby residents and businesses, said police needed
to achieve a balance between public safety at the site and minimising
harm to drug users.

"Police should clearly avoid the confiscation or destruction of unused
injection equipment, unnecessarily aggressive verbal or physical
behaviour when arresting or questioning heroin users, and surveillance
and enforcement activity.

"We need to be making sure the police don't go in boots and all
because being aggressive and shouting and yelling and screaming will
intimidate heroin users, who may then turn to unsafe practices like
needle sharing."

In its survey of users, the bureau found that nearly 40 per cent had
been interrupted by police while using heroin, nearly 70 per cent had
been arrested for a drug-related offence and 25 per cent had a
drug-related court case pending.

"The challenge for police is to capitalise on the effect drug law
enforcement has on entry into treatment while avoiding aggressive
enforcement practices which increase needle-sharing and thereby pose a
threat to public health," Dr Weatherburn said.