Chief Constable Mike Barton
Durham Chief Constable Mike Barton says police are supposed to cut crime, not arrest people
Free heroin will be given to drug addicts by police under plans to let them inject themselves twice daily in a supervised “shooting gallery”.
The Class A drug will be given out free by Durham Constabulary in the first time it will be handed out – with the costs covered by its own budget.
However, critics have slammed the move saying it was not the role of police to supply drugs and it would not help addicts get clean.
It is reportedly estimated to cost about £15,000 a year to provide a person with heroin supervised.
Injecting heroin with a needle
The supervised injecting room would allow users to inject twice a day
But methadone would be only a third of the cost, the Mail on Sunday reports.