A POLICE chief has said he will consider giving free heroin to addicts in Barrow.

The UK’s first heroin clinic in Middlesbrough opened in October and its initial success led a keyworker at The Well to suggest a similar scheme could also benefit Barrow.

Mark Murphy said ‘his would be hugely beneficial for many who find themselves in the grips of addiction’.

“I believe this initiative will eradicate a lot of the crime and risks while also providing an option to help addicts,” he added.

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

Evidence shows that heroin assisted treatment is far cheaper than policing addicts who resort to crime to pay for their drugs.

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

Now Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Peter McCall has also spoken out about the concept of giving out ‘free heroin’.

As well as praising the work done by The Well, Mr McCall said the heroin clinic in Middlesbrough has showed some positive results.

“There are a plethora of schemes to try and combat the problems of drug dependence and have been for many, many years,” Mr McCall said.

“The scheme in Middlesbrough does seem to show some positive results and I am interested to see how this develops in the medium to longer term.

“People will be aware that we have various interventions to try to help people out of addiction including referral to work with The Well in Barrow where help is given by people with their own ‘lived experience’ of addiction.

“This has had some great results too.

“It would be a mistake to think that there is a single answer to the complex issues of drug or indeed alcohol addiction, and sadly there are no easy remedies, but I’m convinced we should be prepared to learn from the experience of others.

“Where success is demonstrated over the long term we should consider it’s wider application.”

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

Estimates suggest the crimes of the 15 people using the clinic cost police around £800,000 over two years.