MAKE DRUG LEGAL OR RISK RIOTS: MOORE

Heroin should be decriminalised and a safe injecting room set up in
Redfern, Sydney's Lord Mayor and the MP for Bligh, Clover Moore, has
told the state parliamentary inquiry into the February riot in the
suburb. She said inner-city residents supported decriminalisation.

"Yes, and the community I represent says 'yes, yes, yes'," she said.
"It would be very beneficial for the community in terms of reduction
of crime and helping [users] get the support they need."

Ms Moore warned that unless there were drastic changes more riots were
inevitable.

Linda Burney, an indigenous NSW government MP, told the inquiry that
legalising heroin would eliminate the Block's drug trade, which she
said had become the area's biggest economic driver.The heroin trade
supported not just addicts and dealers but also impoverished families
who bought the cheap proceeds of robberies. "If there's not so much
money in drugs and they're not illegal then you wouldn't have a
problem," she said. However she did not support decriminalisation of
heroin "per se".

She added heroin was not just a local or Aboriginal problem. She had
seen white office workers get off the train at Redfern and shoot up.

But a spokeswoman for the Premier, Bob Carr, last night rejected the
idea of decriminalising heroin and a second safe injecting room for
Redfern. "He opposes decriminalisation, and the Government has a
policy of a trial medically supervised injecting room and that is in
Kings Cross," she said.

Also at the inquiry yesterday, it emerged that a man labelled as a
ringleader of the riot has been on the run for almost four weeks after
skipping bail while charged with explosives offences.

The man, Calman Williams, was named under parliamentary privilege by
police.

The Redfern crime manager, Detective Inspector Darren Bennett,

identified Williams as "one of the main instigators and participants
in the riot" and said he had breached his bail four times since
appearing in Balmain court. Williams failed to appear in court on
April 29 and is "currently listed as wanted", he said.

Last week Deputy Commissioner Dave Madden told the inquiry that "at
least four people remain wanted". All but five of those charged over
the riot are out on bail.

Outside the inquiry, the Opposition Leader, John
Brogden, said police had opposed bail for Williams: "Is
it any wonder that police can't get on top of the crime
problem in Redfern when they won't get the support they
need from the courts?"

Earlier, Redfern's police commander, Superintendent Dennis Smith,
defended his actions during the riot after a Liberal committee member,
Robyn Parker, asked if Assistant Commissioner Bob Waites had
"effectively dropped you in it" at last week's hearing.

Mr Waites said he had been given "mixed messages" about the
seriousness of the situation by Mr Smith and other police, and this
affected his decision making. Local police were untrained and
unprepared, he said.

However, Mr Smith said he "kept the commander briefed as best I
could".

He said there were police communication problems, which led to
difficulty obtaining extra riot equipment.