POLICE RAID 'SHOOTING GALLERY'

The future of the Sydney Wayside Chapel's contentious heroin shooting
gallery was in the balance last night following a dramatic police raid that
left three addicts facing court and the possibility of further charges
against chapel officials.

Police were last night seeking legal advice on whether they had enough
evidence to prosecute the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross with aiding and
abetting heroin addicts after 15 uniformed and plain-clothed officers
"barged their way" into the controversial Tolerance or T-Room about 2.30pm.

Three men were inside the chapel's heroin injecting room at the time. One
was arrested and charged with possession of heroin while the other two were
released after being issued with on-the-spot notices to face court at a
later date charged with self administering a drug. Police confirmed last
night that evidence gathered from the raid was "being examined with the
possibility of bringing a prosecution" against the chapel.

Meanwhile the City of Port Phillip, which has one of the highest death rates
from heroin overdoses in Victoria, has appealed for a welfare group prepared
to set up a Wayside-style safe injecting room.

The Mayor, Cr Dick Gross, said in a statement that the council was looking
at giving what support it could to agencies wanting to set up a safe
injecting room because political leaders were "stuck in a 50s time warp" and
were "sticking to the failed policies of the past".

"We're asking council officers to report to us as to the likelihood or
preparedness of local agencies to set up safe injecting houses and whether
this strategy would minimise harm and reduce the number of deaths of
injecting drug users," Cr Gross said.

"At this stage we honestly don't know if any agencies are prepared to follow
the lead set by the Wayside Chapel in Sydney."

After the raid, Wayside Chapel pastor Reverend Ray Richmond said he and the
other organisers would maintain their determination to save lives by
continuing to operate the room.

However, fellow founder Dr Alex Wodak said a decision on the facility's
future would be made at a crisis meeting at the chapel this morning. "We
don't like what happened today," he said.

"Although we'll consider making a formal complaint about the manner in which
police entered the premises, none of us like being involved with the
authorities in this way.

"It's also regrettable that the people who have used the T-Room in good
faith - the addicts - have been caught up in the middle and we'll have to
consider their position as well."

The AIDS Council of NSW described yesterday's raid as a "heavy handed
action" which would drive heroin users to inject in back lanes and alleys.

"It's a sad day that organisations such as the Wayside Chapel had to run the
gauntlet of the law on a public health issue," said the council's chief
executive, Mr Robert Griew said.

"We need to urgently discuss law reform so organisations such as the wayside
Chapel can help injecting drug users and the entire community by providing a
safe place for people to inject and dispose of needles," he said.