CHURCH-RUN ILLEGAL SHOOTING GALLERIES WILL SPREAD, SAYS CHAPEL

Church-run illegal heroin shooting galleries were likely to spread to the
New South Wales central coast, Melbourne and Brisbane, a Wayside Chapel
spokesman said today.

Tony Trimingham, an organiser of the church's Tolerance Room, or T-Room,
which was shut down after a police raid last night, vowed a safe injecting
room would be reopened in Sydney's Kings Cross or elsewhere.

"Should no further action be taken by government in moving this into the
public health arena, then we will recommence either at the Wayside Chapel or
elsewhere either on a limited basis or a more permanent basis," said Mr
Trimingham.

"We've also received at least four indications from other places that
churches will be opening their doors to such facilities."

The indications had come mainly from Uniting Church congregations on the
central coast, Melbourne and Brisbane, he said.

The T-Room was closed after a man was charged with possessing an illegal
substance there yesterday.

Mr Trimingham said the Wayside Chapel had decided to leave it closed until
after the NSW drug summit this weekend.

"Our efforts in organising the room were to protect users not only from
death and disease but also from criminal sanctions," Mr Trimingham said.

"It's obvious now that we can't guarantee their immunity from any of those
things in the short term."