SHOOTING GALLERY VOWS TO FIGHT ON

STAFF at the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross have vowed to continue their
illegal heroin injecting room despite a police raid on the premises
yesterday and an arrest.

Without warning, Local Area Commander Bob Myatt and six plain-clothed and
uniformed officers armed with a search warrant and a video camera entered
the chapel at 2.25pm.

They ignored protests by security guards not to enter and marched into the
chapel's heroin injecting room where three drug users were in the process of
shooting up.

One man, who had three outstanding warrants for other offences, was charged
with possessing a prohibited drug.

Two other men were issued with court attendance notices for
self-administration of a prohibited drug.

Upstairs, the founders of the so-called Tolerance Room were meeting to
create new strategies on how to operate the safe drug injecting program.

They had just resolved not to allow addicts to shoot up methadone on their
premises because it took too long.

The police team included three undercover officers who assisted in the
80-minute evidence gathering.

Officers photocopied the registry of how many people had used the so-called
Tolerance Room and took video evidence of the tables laid out with
hypodermic syringes and other drug-injecting tools. They also photocopied
documents relating to the operation of the room.

About 20 people gave police statements including a nurse, three social
workers and drug room founders, former Labor MP Ann Symonds, Wayside pastor
Ray Richmond, drug law reformists Tony Trimingham and Alex Wodak of St
Vincent's Hospital.

Most declined to speak to police and simply gave names and home addresses.

Supt Myatt said yesterday detectives would analyse the evidence to determine
whether further charges would be laid.

An unhappy Rev Richmond said he would seek legal advice on whether he could
make a formal complaint about the incident.

He said that while police were "forceful but professional" their actions
warranted further investigation.

Mr Trimingham said he told police the Tolerance Room had many purposes
including being used as an injecting room.

Yesterday's raid followed more than a week of police surveillance and
undercover work.

The Tolerance Room officially opened for business on May 3.

The Tolerance Room, which operates three days a week, is expected to open
again tomorrow.