On October 30, 2017, the Victorian Government decided to approve a trial Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Richmond, inner-city Melbourne in what will be Australia’s second facility.
Read about the approval for a trial Medically Supervised Injecting Centre here.
Greg Denham is a former police officer and Executive Officer at Yarra Drug and Health Forum in inner city Melbourne.
In this video, Greg takes you on a tour of alley ways and public toilets where discarded drug injecting equipment pose a danger to the public. Greg supports a Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in the area to reduce the impact of public drug injecting on community safety and to prevent the spread of bloodborne viruses.
Sydney is host to Australia’s only legal drug consumption room which has reduced deaths from drug overdose, increased the number of people referred to treatment for drug use and decreased the number of discarded needles and syringes in public spaces. Furthermore, evaluations have found no increased crime associated with the opening of the MSIC in Sydney’s Kings Cross allaying the fears of some local police.
In a significant move, The Police Association Victoria – the union for police – recently voted to not oppose the establishment of a MSIC in the local government area of Yarra. Whilst endorsement of the proposal is preferred, The Police Association’s stance goes some way to reducing opposition to the public health amenity.