AFL legend Kevin Sheedy hits out at injecting room site

Footy legend Kevin Sheedy is begging authorities to find a new injecting room site, saying it’s “common sense” to keep it away from Flinders Street.

Footy legend Kevin Sheedy — fresh from penning a love letter to fire up Covid-weary Victorians — says Melbourne’s second supervised injecting room shouldn’t be opposite Flinders Street Station.

The former Essendon coach said authorities should find a more suitable location away from the popular Degraves Street dining precinct.

“Wherever it is, don’t shove it next to the No.1 restaurant in town,” Sheedy said.

“It’s a common sense decision, and it’s one of the most important subjects that we never got taught at school.”

The state government has bought the former Yooralla building for $40.3m but maintains multiple sites are under consideration for the facility.

“Find a place that’s doing nothing, that’s appropriate, that will not embarrass people, because we’ve got to care about those who need help,” Sheedy said.

“You don’t need to stick it (injecting room) in at Flinders Street Station.”

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Shane Patton on Thursday said there was a risk the injecting room would ­increase crime in the surrounding area but it was up to the government to decide the most suitable location.

Flinders Street is the proposed site for a supervised injecting room. Picture: Mark Stewart

“There’s risks of potentially drug driving, there’s risks of people trafficking drugs, there are risks of perceptions of ­safety where the public may see people wandering around who are impacted or affected by drugs, a rise in crime potentially in the area and just in general a perception of safety,’’ Mr Patton told radio 3AW.

“There’s a range of issues that exist in where you put any such facility.

“I don’t know whether I can ever totally mitigate the risks but we can do what we will.”

The Herald Sun on Thursday revealed 55.9 per cent of Victorians who took part in a poll opposed putting the injecting room opposite Flinders Street Station.

Crime figures also revealed the likely site was not ground zero for drug offending.

Turning Point executive clinical director Dan Lubman, whose organisation is a leader in addiction treatment and ­research, said the injecting room needed to be near where there were heroin overdoses.

Kevin Sheedy says a more suitable location is needed for the supervised injecting room. Picture: Getty Images

A quarter in Melbourne’s CBD are within 250m of Flinders and Elizabeth streets.

“The evidence is clear that any supervised injecting service needs to be close to drug overdoses if it is to be effective in reducing deaths and providing vital support to people who inject drugs,’’ Professor Lubman said.

Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association executive officer Sam Biondo said while crime data for drug offences indi­cated overall illicit substance related harm, it did not always relate to illicit drug use by people who would use a medically supervised injecting room.

“While we have some sympathy for the views expressed by some of the local business owners, many of their concerns are not supported by the data. Notions of more publicly discarded injecting equipment ... are contrary to the evidence,” Mr Biondo said.

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