Richmond drug arrests spark safe injecting room crisis
The chief of North Richmond Community Health, which operates Melbourne’s controversial injecting room, has been stood down after two staffers were arrested in a police swoop on alleged drug traffickers.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The boss of North Richmond Community Health has been stood down after heroin was allegedly dealt to addicts by workers linked to Melbourne’s troubled North Richmond safe-injecting room.
Chief executive Demos Krouskos has been stood down as the state government investigates how its workers were allegedly dealing drugs.
Acting Mental Health Minister Luke Donnellan said this morning that the government’s independent review would investigate whether North Richmond Community Health “failed to prevent alleged criminal activity by its staff”.
“The allegations against staff employed at the North Richmond Health Service are extremely serious,” he said.
“The review will be completed as swiftly and quickly as possible and will be submitted to the Minister for Mental Health.
“While this occurs, the board has stood down the North Richmond Community Health CEO — and this decision has the full support of the Victorian Government.”
Melbourne Health chief operating officer Adam Horsburgh will take over in the interim.
Mr Donnellan maintained the injecting room was saving lives, with more than 1800 overdoses managed since it was opened.
Two staff employed by North Richmond Community Health — which runs the North Richmond safe-injecting centre — were among eight people arrested in a police swoop on traffickers on Thursday.
Last night, a 49-year-old male employee was among five charged over allegations of drug trafficking in the area. Four of the five were bailed and will appear before the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
A 35-year-old Richmond man was remanded and will appear in court today.
A second staff member, a 36-year-old Brunswick West woman, is also expected to be charged on summons.
RELATED: CRIME CASTS CLOUD OVER INJECTING FACILITY
The two staff members are community outreach workers who provide advice on harm reduction to local drug users, but have not been working directly in the safe-injecting room.
There is no allegation of drugs being dealt inside Richmond Community Health, but the arrests are another black mark for the injecting room, which opened in mid-2018.
In April the Herald Sun revealed two North Richmond Community Health workers had been caught shooting up in separate incidents close to the centre.
There have been persistent claims the injecting room — operating on a two-year trial — should not be in an area where families live and not near a primary school.
Neighbours have complained of blatant dealing, heroin use and violence involving those drawn to the area by the drug trade.
There have been instances of people publicly having sex and using the street as a toilet.
Acting Mental Health Minister Luke Donnellan said the allegations against NRCH staff were “very serious”.
“Such behaviour is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” he said.
“The government will swiftly investigate this and take action.”
North Richmond Community Health said the two staff members were stood down after being arrested.
Detectives from Yarra CIU executed search warrants in Burnside Heights and Richmond on Thursday as part of a three-month inquiry called Operation Sievers.
Others arrested were a 43-year-old woman and a 51-year-old man, both of Burnside Heights, who were picked up in Gardner St, Richmond; a man and woman, both 42, of Richmond who were apprehended in Egan St; a 35-year-old Richmond man arrested in Murphy St; and a Richmond woman, 40, detained in Elizabeth St.
North West Metro Region acting Superintendent Kelvin Gale said: “The trafficking of drugs causes significant harm in the community, which is why we are absolutely committed to arresting these offenders and putting them before the court.”
Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt said the union did not oppose the safe-injecting room trial because it was trying to address a serious health issue. But he said the biggest health issue for addicts was those who preyed on them by supplying drugs.
MORE NEWS
KILLER LAUGHS AS VICTIM’S FAMILY MAKES PLEA
PUBLIC SHUT OUT DURING LAWYER X ROYAL COMMISSION
DRUG CLAIMS FOR BIKIE MOLL LINKED TO BOMBER RAIDS
Local Letitia Wilkinson said locals deserved to feel safe but “very clear harm” was being inflicted on the community. “If the government doesn’t relocate it now then residents will inevitably shift from (wanting) relocation to closure,” she said.
Opposition police spokesman David Southwick said a government investigation must determine whether the facility had breached its own licence. “Effectively we’ve got state-sponsored drug-trafficking activity,” he said.