‘Alarming’ drug find in Richmond street

A large package of heroin has been found near a Richmond primary school, renewing fears about the controversial injecting room nearby.

A bag of heroin has been found outside a residential property in Richmond, near the controversial injecting room. Picture: David Crosling

Residents living near a controversial north Richmond drug injecting room have renewed calls for the facility to be relocated after an “alarming” quantity of heroin was found just metres from a primary school.

A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed a bag of heroin – estimated to be worth about $5000 – was found alongside a piece of jewellery on Peers Street last Thursday March 17.

The bag, dropped in the front yard of a property located near the Richmond West primary school, was taken to police.

Opposition mental health spokeswoman, Emma Kealy, said the finding was “yet another alarming wake-up call of the dangers faced by the local community”.

It is the latest of a string of incidents near the trouble-plagued medically supervised injecting room on Lennox Street.

“This massive quantity of drugs could have had disastrous outcomes if found by a school child on their walk home from school, whether they ingested the drugs or if they came across the heavily intoxicated dealer that dropped the drugs,” Ms Kealy said.

“It’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”

A north Richmond resident of almost 20 years, who asked to remain anonymous, said drugs were very common in the area.

“This is just life around the injecting room,” he told the Herald Sun.

“It’s a resigned feeling of sadness. We see this stuff far more regularly than we should, so it’s not a shock but the amount is a shock. I’ve never seen anything close to that.”

The resident said illegal drug activity in the area “seems to be warming up”, claiming he had noticed more activity since international borders had reopened.

The injecting room has been used more than 261,000 times and has managed more than 4600 overdoses. It has also saved at least 44 lives.

Despite that, the local said most residents didn’t want the facility closed but relocated to an area that isn’t surrounded by vulnerable residents or a primary school.

Ms Kealy said the government’s injecting room model had “fatal flaws that should not be ignored”.

Residents living near the controversial safe injecting room have renewed calls for the facility to be relocated. Picture: Josie Hayden

She said the facility, in its current location, exposed children to dead bodies, sexual acts and drug dealing.

“(It) is posing a critical danger to the safety of children, families and the wider community in Richmond,” she said.

“At some point the state government has to concede that the risk to children and the community is completely unacceptable.

“Labor can no longer deny that their injecting room model is completely broken and needs a complete rethink.”

The state government is in the process of launching a second supervised injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD, but is still awaiting the findings of a report by former top cop Ken Lay before announcing its location.

The report’s release date, which has been pushed back, is expected later this year.

It’s understood a building on Flinders St, purchased by the state government for $40.3m last year, is considered the top option for the facility, despite being located near the iconic Degraves Street.

A Victorian government spokesman said the school took appropriate steps to ensure students are kept safe from antisocial behaviour, but arrangements are under continuous review.

“The safety of the community is always our top priority and there are a number of measures in place to ensure that including increased safety measures,” he said.

“Drug use and antisocial behaviour has been an issue the north Richmond community has grappled with for decades and that’s why the medically supervised injecting room is in this location.

“The MSIR was established to save lives and reduce the harm caused by drugs – which is exactly what the data shows it’s doing.

“It has directly taken pressure off local hospitals, reduced ambulance call outs, led to a decrease in public injecting and saved lives.”

Victoria Police said the investigation into the matter is ongoing.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.