'THERE WILL BE NO RAIDS ... NO PUBLIC MARTYRS'

The Assistant Police Commissioner, Mr Ken Moroney, signalled clearly
yesterday that the police would not create "public martyrs" for the
heroin injection room cause.

As public and political pressure for police action against the Wayside
Chapel's injection room trial increased yesterday, Mr Moroney warned
that while all complaints would be investigated formally, police
intervention would be cautious.

He said any action or investigation would follow guidelines
specifically drawn up on the issue by the Local Area Commander for
Kings Cross, Superintendent Bob Myatt.

"If you expect a whole lot of cars and people being led off in hordes,
it won't happen," Mr Moroney said yesterday. "We will proceed with an
investigation but there will be no raids, there will be no public
martyrs for this cause."

Mr Moroney made it clear the police would act on any formal complaints
against the injection room trial and evidence gathered against
individuals. However, he stressed that any move to close the room and
inquiries on how business was conducted there was the province of
other authorities, such as South Sydney Council and the Department of
Health.

He also said police priorities remained the drug suppliers, rather
than users - 248 arrests had been made in the area in the past five
months, most for supplying narcotics.

Mr Moroney also confirmed that under NSW law, aiding and abetting the
self-administration of a prohibited drug carried a maximum penalty of
a $2,200 fine, two years' jail or both. But he stressed the difficulty
of proving absolutely that someone aiding and abetting did so knowing
the person would self-administer.

A copy of the injection room guidelines obtained by the Herald reveals
that this difficulty is stressed to local police, who have been fully
briefed on the intense public scrutiny of the case and the importance
of careful action.

"Of course, our personal views on these issues must NOT be aired in
public whilst we are conducting our policing role and we must ENSURE
we carry out our role in a neutral manner," the memo states.

The memo makes clear that complaints are anticipated and sets out nine
steps for police to undertake during a formal investigation. These
include the need for a search warrant or an invitation to enter the
premises, the use of summons rather than arrest, and procedures to
ensure experienced officers lead any visits.