POLICE, MPs DENY INJECTING ROOM 'HONEY POT' CLAIMS

One of New South Wales's most senior policemen denies the supervised heroin
injecting room in Sydney's Kings Cross is sending the area's drug trade out
of control.

Assistant Police Commissioner Dick Adams says the Kings Cross local area
commander Dave Darcy has been misquoted in a newspaper article in which he
claims drug dealing will never be eradicated in the Cross.

The article claims 800 drug deals are done daily near the injecting room.

Assistant Commissioner Adams is supporting Superintendent Darcy's work in
the area, saying no city in the world has ever eradicated drug crime.

"It is not a honey pot effect as has been described," Assistant
Commissioner Adams said.

"The independent research shows in the two years that Superintendent Darcy
and his team have been working at Kings Cross with the MSIC that reported
crime is down by 50 per cent."

The Government has already rejected as absurd the newspaper claims of 'out
of control' drug dealing near the facility.

The New South Wales Opposition leader, John Brogen, says he still supports
a trial injecting room in inner Sydney, despite being concerned about the
media reports.

But Mr Brogden says the claims of increasing crime need to be looked into
again.

"I've only ever supported a trial because it saved lives," Mr Brogden said.

"If this is proving in fact to be a honey pot for drug dealers, if it's
proving in fact to make matters worse for drug crime than better, then
that's a matter that the Government needs to provide an independent report on."