Opening a heroin clinic in Barrow ‘could massively cut crime’

A HEROIN clinic where addicts are prescribed the drug for free could help blitz crime in Barrow.

That's the view of a drug addiction worker who believes the town needs to copy a blueprint in the north east to help heroin users turn their lives around.

Mark Murphy, a keyworker at The Well, has praised the UK's first heroin clinic in Middlesbrough which opened in October.

The clinic offers a treatment where users inject diamorphine in a controlled setting with medical professionals present.

Evidence shows that this Heroin Assisted Treatment is far cheaper than policing addicts who resort to crime to pay for their drugs.

“This would be hugely beneficial for many who find themselves in the grips of addiction,” said Mr Murphy.

“Here at The Well Communities we help people overcome alcoholism and addiction and have a really high success rate. Addicts are driven by something far, far more powerful than them which causes them to do horrific things in a bid to fund their addictions.

"Often this is in the form of criminal activity which creates not only victims but also costs our economy and the government a fortune to police it.

“I believe this initiative will eradicate a lot of the crime and risks while also providing an option to help addicts who no longer want to be doing shameful things, destroying their families, committing crimes and destroying themselves. It would help them to stabilise their addiction, moderate their substance use in the safest possible way and potentially provide them with the platform to rebuild their lives.”

Funding for the Middlesbrough clinic came from a community rehab company and a prisons group. It costs £12,000 to put somebody through treatment for a year. Estimates suggest the crimes of the 15 people using the clinic cost police around £800,000 over two years.

Barrow and Furness MP Simon Fell said a heroin clinic ‘may well’ be part of the solution in tackling drug-related crime in Barrow.

“The most important question is whether this initiative would save lives and reduce harm,” he said.

“If the evidence shows that it does then I’d welcome it being trialled here. Ultimately we have to look at measures that work to protect people, drive down addiction rates, and reduce crime. Schemes like this may well be part of a holistic response.”

The treatment can only be carried out by doctors with a licence allowing them to prescribe the medication.