Former detective warns a CBD injecting room could lead to a ‘free for all’ for drugs

A retired police officer has slammed the proposed Bourke Street injecting room, warning it could lead to a “free for all” for drugs in the CBD.

Retired detective Mick Wilmott outside the proposed safe injecting room at the Salvation Army at Bourke Street. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

A retired police officer has warned a CBD injecting room would lead to a “free for all” for drug users in the inner city, because of pressure put on frontline police to not arrest users near supervised drug-use facilities.

Mick Wilmott, who retired in July after a 38 year career in Victoria Police, including seven years as a detective in Richmond, told the Sunday Herald Sun an injecting room being considered for Bourke St would make drug possession in the city a legal “grey area”.

The state’s drug laws give police officers the discretion not to charge people carrying drugs on their way to, or in the vicinity, of an injecting room.

But Mr Wilmott said police were told “not to engage” with drug users near the existing North Richmond site because top brass feared public blowback if officers charged someone with drug possession on their way to inject at the site.

He predicts the same approach will carry over to the CBD if an injecting room opens there.

“If you’re in the vicinity of [the injecting room] police can use their discretion not to charge – but we were told (as police) we’d be widely criticised if we did so,” he said.

Mr Wilmott said police were told “not to engage” with drug users near the existing North Richmond site.

Mr Wilmott also warned the proposed Bourke St site made it difficult to set boundaries for a “vicinity bubble”, fearing the city would become a “free for all” for drug users and dealers.

“If they put the injecting room here it makes a bubble very complicated,” he said.

“It’s not like there’s one station (like North Richmond) people use to get into the city, there are so many stations and modes of transport.”

“If you’re coming from Geelong does that mean you can carry drugs with you on the V/Line to Spencer St and come to Bourke St to use? Technically yes.

“It will be the whole CBD that’s impacted, not just the pocket around Bourke St.

“The irony here is you could stand on the stairs of parliament with drugs in your pocket and say you’re going in to use the injecting room and police won’t charge you”.

The Salvation Army on Bourke St loomed as the top contender to host Melbourne’s second injecting room, with the state government to make a call on the new site based on a report filed by Ken Lay.

Last month the Herald Sun spoke with several Bourke St business owners, including Guy Grossi and Pellegrini’s owner David Malaspina, who vehemently opposed an injecting room in the area.

More than 3100 people have signed a petition opposing the injecting room at Bourke St.

Mr Wilmott spoke at a recent forum at the Kelvin Club held by community group Residents 3000 about the issue.

He predicted crimes, other than drug possession, would increase also increase in the CBD if the injecting room opened.

“I’m not against the idea of having a Safe Injecting Facility as there are people in our community with drug and health issues and they must be cared for,” he said.

“I don’t know why the government has not considered a hospital as a site – because this is a health issue and here (Bourke Street) it will become a crime problem.”

The North Richmond site, which was made a permanent fixture of the area after a five year trial, has saved about 63 lives and managed 6300 overdoses.

Children walk past intoxicated people. Richmond supervised injecting room on Lennox street.

The Herald Sun revealed three years ago that Flinders St was being looked at after the government bought the Yooralla building opposite the railway station.

A spate of shocking incidents near North Richmond’s injecting room have been reported since it opened in June 2018, including a man being found dead near the school.

A Victoria Police spokesperson said:

“Victoria Police continues to retain a strong and consistent drug enforcement focus around the North Richmond Medically Supervised Injecting Room to ensure the City of Yarra is safe, as we have been doing for several years,” they said.

“Police continue to run highly visible neighbourhood policing patrols across the Richmond area to prevent, detect and respond to crime, while local detectives target drug trafficking and associated offences consistent with the Victoria Police Drug Strategy.

“We work closely with the Richmond community, the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, Department of Health, local council, schools, business and other agencies with safety and amenity of the area our highest priority.

“Any decision around health intervention or the location of a CBD based Medically Supervised Injecting Room is a matter for the State Government and further enquiries should be directed to them.”