Ice to be allowed inside North Richmond injecting rooms

THE Police Association Victoria will oppose a supervised injecting room that allows ice use, after the Andrews Government backflipped to allow the deadly drug to be shot up in the Richmond facility.

THE Police Association Victoria will oppose a supervised injecting room that allows ice use, after the Andrews Government backflipped to allow the deadly drug to be shot up in the facility.

The state government injecting room regulations, released quietly on Tuesday night, will allow any drug of dependence, which includes ice, speed and other amphetamines.

Labor ministers had previously promised ice and other amphetamines would be banned from the North Richmond facility.

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On learning the news, outraged residents near the site of the medically supervised injecting centre — just meters from the West Richmond Primary School — are concerned ice users will be shooting up metres from children. While others are concerned the centre may become a magnet for drug dealers.

Police union boss Wayne Gatt said the facility had now become a “public safety issue”.

“We don’t support the use of ice in a supervised heroin injecting room,” he said.

Drug users will now be allowed to use the illegal substance under medical supervision at Melbourne’s new safe injecting room in North Richmond.

“Heroin users are predominantly a danger to themselves and their lives. Ice users are a danger to everyone.”

Drug workers have echoed police association concerns, with one potential staffer telling the Herald Sun they would withdraw their job application for fears of dealing with violent ice users.

But a Victoria Police spokesman said it supported the injecting room pilot and this decision.

He said global evidence suggested that injecting rooms did not create public safety risks.

Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said Premier Daniel Andrews had again “lied about his commitment” and he would unwind the capacity for ice users to inject in the facility if the Coalition won the November election.

“What’s the guarantee that this government won’t put more safe injecting rooms, with ice addicts, right across our suburbs?,” Mr Guy said.

Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said the government had changed its position after expert advice told them most clients at the facility were likely to be ‘poly-drug’ users.

“The best advice was that we should cater, sadly, to all of those drugs,” Mr Foley said.

But only six months ago, Mr Foley ruled out ice being used in the facility because it was a “different type of drug and a different type of risk”.

Butcher Astrid Hansen said the Lennox St centre was far too close to West Richmond Primary School.

Mental Health Minister Martin Foley said the government changed its position. Picture: AAP Image/Mal Fairclough

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“Children as young as six or seven shouldn’t be seeing things like that.”

But Residents for Victoria Street Drug Solutions secretary Judy Ryan said the ice hysteria was unwarranted.

She said the Kings Cross facility had allowed ice use for a decade and users knew if they acted violently they would be barred.

To gain access to the North Richmond safe injecting room, users must answer set questions, including their full name and list of substances they intend to use.

People with a criminal history will not be allowed to work at the centre.

Those on parole, bail or are subject to any sort of court or tribunal order will also be banned from working at the centre.

Last year, following a 16-year high in heroin deaths, the state coroner called for a trial of safe injecting rooms.

The government last year announced a two-year trial of a safe injecting centre in North Richmond, a notorious spot for drugs.

Up to 34 people died from heroin overdoses near Victoria Street in a 12-month period last year.

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