Policing Minister backs calls to give drug addicts free daily heroin injections 

The Policing Minister has backed controversial calls to give drug addicts free daily heroin injections, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Chris Philp claimed setting up taxpayer-funded, medic-supervised ‘shooting galleries’ would be ‘cost-effective’ and help cut drug-related crime.

But campaigners have warned the scheme would pile yet more pressure on the NHS and said there is patchy evidence that it actually helps addicts get clean.

Targeted injectable opioid treatment (IOT) sees addicts given diamorphine – medical-grade heroin. They are injected twice a day with the aim to gradually reduce users’ intakes.

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Trials have seen a 98 per cent reduction in street drug use. However, in Middlesbrough, it cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to treat just 14 people.

Chris Philp claimed setting up taxpayer-funded, medic-supervised ‘shooting galleries’ would be ‘cost-effective’ (pictured September 2022)

A man injects himself with heroin using a needle obtained from the People’s Harm Reduction Alliance, a needle-exchange program, in Seattle, Washington April 30, 2015

Mr Philp said: ‘The cost-effectiveness of IOT programmes, despite high up-front costs, has been demonstrated.’

But David Raynes, of the National Drug Prevention Alliance, argued: ‘The costs are incredibly high. On any large scale it would damage the NHS – it really is a case of hips, hearts or heroin.’

The Home Office said: ‘We published a ten-year drugs strategy last month which will support recovery, as well as a tougher response to criminal supply chains.’