I had never before managed a local command and, truth be known, I was as sceptical as the next person in my ability to make a difference. I did have some experience however in developing policy needed to support the rollout of the needle and syringe program, and Australia’s first medically supervised injecting centre in Kings Cross. To my way of thinking, apart from anything else, the less confrontation between cops and the community is always a good thing. And so I asked myself from very early on: was the possession and use of illicit drugs really a matter of crime?