DOZENS ARRESTED IN MARIBYRNONG HEROIN RAIDS

Police have not ruled out further operations after arresting more than 50
people over heroin trafficking in the City of Maribyrnong this week.

Residents and traders were praised by police yesterday for the success of
the operation after more than 350 charges were laid for alleged trafficking
of the drug. A 29-year-old Carlton man was charged with 54 counts of
trafficking.

"We will continue to get rid of the scourge," said Acting Senior Sergeant
Steve Meehan. "The people of Footscray... want to know that they are safe."

Most of the drug dealing was concentrated around Footscray's CBD, in
particular Nicholson Street mall. Allan Kong, of the Footscray Asian
Business Association, said the city's reputation for drugs did affect business.

"It can make people think twice about getting into the car and driving to
the market," he said. "The police need to keep up this sort of action."

Despite the number of arrests, authorities said heroin overdoses were well
down on the late 1990s. Paramedics were now treating only a couple of users
each day who had overdosed.

"When you compare that to 1999-2001, when it was at its peak, we were doing
probably 17 in a 24-hour period," said paramedic Lindsay Bent.

However, local social workers accused police of arresting unemployed,
homeless, drug addicted and psychiatrically disabled people in the crackdown.

Open Family outreach worker Richard Tregear said the arrests were racially
targeted and Caucasian drug users were not arrested. He said police had
been violent and abusive.

Macfarlane Burnet Institute research officer Peter Higgs said about six of
the people he worked with had been arrested and he agreed with Mr Tregear's
assessments.

"It's certainly a crackdown to make Footscray 'look' prettier, but it's not
about solving the problem of heroin on our streets," Mr Higgs said.

A Western Region Health Service spokeswoman confirmed at least a third of
those arrested were waiting for one of the 12 local detox beds.

A police spokeswoman said all those arrested were charged with trafficking
and there had been no complaints of verbal or physical assault by police.
She said all the allegations were untrue. "If they all happen to be from
one ethnic background, that's because our surveillance showed that," she said.