INJECTING ROOMS A LEGAL MINEFIELD: POLICE UNION

The Australian Federal Police Association says it cannot support the
establishment of a safe heroin injecting room in Canberra until a number of
legal issues are clarified.

The injecting room in Civic looks likely to go ahead after the ALP gave its
conditional support to the Health Minister's proposal.

But Association secretary Jason Byrnes says issues such as when a person
should be charged with possession need to be clarified.

"When is it basically going to become legal for a person to have an illegal
substance in their possession, will it be when they walk in to this
premises, or will it be some other time?" Mr Byrnes said.

"If we arrested a person in, say, Charnwood, and they say that they were
going into Civic to use this gallery, is that an illegal offence, to
possess the heroin if their intention was to use it in the gallery?" he said.