OVERDOSE DEATHS

ILLAWARRA police and rescue services have to deal with the effects of drug
abuse every day.

According to NSW Police Service South Eastern Region Commander Christine
Nixon, the vast majority of crime in the Illawarra is drug-related.

``About 60 to 80 per cent of all crime committed in the community is
related to drugs and alcohol,'' she said.

``Whether it's break and enters or robberies or any number of crimes which
profoundly affect people in the community, the underlying factor is drugs.''

To counter this, she said, the police service was working with the NSW
Government to provide solutions to the escalating problem.

``I wish I could say that the Illawarra was okay but, in reality, the
region has a problem much like the inner city areas of Liverpool or
Cabramatta or any large urban area,'' she said.

``It is not just a government problem, or a police problem, but a problem
which affects nearly every sector of society, and we all need to work
together to come up with a workable solution.''

Ms Nixon said the police service was also helping the Government address
the issues involved with the proposed heroin shooting galleries.

``The police are working with the Government to work out if, and how,
medically supervised injecting rooms could be introduced,'' she said.

``The advocates of this proposal feel such rooms would be of benefit to the
community as they would reduce the number of syringes found in public
places such as school playgrounds, public toilets and so on.

``They also believe it would benefit the user as there would be medical
support available.''

While the police were interested in any benefits to the community, Ms Nixon
said there were important legal considerations such as police presence at
or near these shooting galleries.

``The key issue for police is harm minimisation for the individual and the
community on a larger scale,'' she said.

``Like needle exchanges, police would not be waiting outside to catch
people going to these locations but there are other side issues such as:
`How can someone carry drugs to the location and not be committing an
offence?' Such details are yet to be sorted out by the Government but the
main thing is that the police service is involved in the process.''

Another problem for the Illawarra, and the entire country, is the increase
in drug overdoses.

NSW University's National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre reports that
there were 600 opiate overdose deaths among those aged 15-44 in Australia
in 1997. In NSW the number was 292, with heroin-related deaths a
significant proportion of that figure.

Illawarra Ambulance Service Superintendent Bill Williams said narcotic
overdoses were certainly on the rise in the Illawarra.

``The Illawarra was relatively low in incidents of narcotic overdose a
number of years ago, but I guess it's fair to say that's not the case
now,'' he said.

``It wouldn't be a surprise to anyone to hear that the incidence of
narcotic overdoses are increasing in the Illawarra.

``It is very difficult to put a figure on it though, as there may be no
incidents for days or maybe even weeks and then you get a number in a short
space of time.

``It is also very difficult to pinpoint any `hot spots' as it's very
widespread.''

Supt Williams, however, did not want to comment on the shooting gallery issue.

``The ambulance service is accountable for the treatment of any narcotic
overdoses within the community wherever they may occur, be it in someone's
house or an injecting room,'' he said.

``Our mission is to render treatment to the patient and our main concern is
the preservation of human life - we don't treat a narcotic overdose any
differently than we would an asthmatic or an epileptic episode.''

REGION'S TRAGIC RECORD

Heroin-related deaths in NSW, 1992-1996

* In the period 1992-1996 there were 953 heroin-related fatalities.

* Heroin-related deaths rose substantially in that period - from 152 in
1992 to 226 during 1996.

* Twenty per cent of deaths occurred outside the Sydney metropolitan
region, with the Illawarra having the largest number of deaths outside Sydney.

* The increase in the number of deaths that occurred outside Sydney was
greater than that which occurred within the metropolitan area (230 per cent
outside Sydney versus 134 per cent).

* Eighty-five per cent were male and the mean age was 31 years.

* Sixty-one per cent of all deaths occurred in a home setting - only 12 per
cent occurred in the street, park or bushland.

* Only 15 per cent were identified as dying instantly upon heroin
administration. More than a quarter of the deaths took longer than one hour.

* No intervention took place in 79 per cent of the cases.

Statistics obtained from the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre at
NSW University.