Drug dealers are flocking to Melbourne’s controversial injecting room to sell heroin – and police are powerless to stop them
- Controversial Richmond injecting room is at centre of legal loophole drug deals
- Over 100 residents met in an urgent meeting on Wednesday night to discuss
- Two local officers have reported they were advised not to patrol the area
- Councillor Stephen Jolly says the injecting room acts as a drug 'honey pot'
Drug dealers are exploiting a legal loophole that allows them to carry up to three grams of heroin around Melbourne's first safe injecting room.
The controversial injecting room in Richmond, in Melbourne's north, has seen an influx of drug dealers, and police say they are unable to stop them from selling their illicit wares.
More than 100 local residents attended an emergency meeting on Wednesday night to voice their concerns.
'It's a free-for-all,' said one anonymous user, outside of the injecting room (2017)
Drug dealers are exploiting a legal loophole that allows them to carry up to 3 grams of heroin around Melbourne's first drug injection room (pictured)
The police union is also conducting a survey of its members to determine if they need a tougher approach.
Even heroin users admitted that crime and drug use was rampant near the injecting room.
'It's a free-for-all,' one anonymous user said outside of the injecting room, The Age reported.
Local residents, including councillor Stephen Jolly, say the injecting room acts as a 'honey pot' for drug addicts, with the local area swarming with them.
The police union is also conducting a survey of its members to determine if they need a tougher approach (2017)
'It's a free-for-all,' one anonymous user told the publication, outside of the injecting room
Two police officers have also vented their frustration.
They said they were told to not patrol the area because of the law that allows users to carry 30 hits of heroin without being arrested.
Using heroin is legal in the injecting room, creating a legal loophole that allows users and dealers to carry large doses of the drug consequence-free.
To avoid being arrested, all they need to do is inform police they intend on using the facility.
To avoid being arrested, all they need to do is inform police they intend on using the facility (2017)
Using heroin is legal in the injecting room, creating a legal loophole that allows users and dealers to carry large doses of the drug consequence-free
'It's very frustrating for the members because all they're doing is taking crime reports and doing nothing about it,' one anonymous local officer said.
'Crime is happening down there but we are forbidden from working on drugs in that area...
'We were told not to patrol around there, not to do anything.'
Police Superintendent David Clayton, who oversees the Richmond area, said change is needed.
The officer said while more consultation with the community was needed, it was important not to over-police the entrance to the facility so people could use it without fear of arrest.
Police Superintendent David Clayton, who oversees the Richmond area, said change is needed
Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton and Mr Clayton both admitted more police presence may be necessary in order to protect public safety.
Mr Ashton told ABC Melbourne it was likely they would beef up their presence.
'We've certainly been talking at the senior level about that in recent weeks,' he said.
'So it might be that we do more visual presence stuff.'
Both Mr Ashton and Mr Clayton stressed the purpose of the facility is to save lives by providing a safe and supervised space for addicts.
'The health side of it seems to be operating, but... the sort of visual stuff that happens around the centres that people don't like,' Mr Ashton said.
Mr Ashton said it was likely they would beef up their presence
This week alone, police seized about 2.5kg of heroin in Abbotsford, north of Richmond, as well as Collingwood and St Albans.
The news comes as workers were previously filmed injecting heroin openly in the street, resulting in them losing their jobs in the injecting rooms.
It also prompted the state government has requested the facility to review its practices and staffing policies.
The injecting room has also come under public scrutiny the past for residents saying the facility turned the suburb into a 'ghetto.'
They claimed the streets had been littered with discarded needles, vomit, and even faeces.
