Plea for help
A Manawatu¯ police officer has issued a stark plea for help to crack down on the supply of synthetic drugs.
Feilding youth aid officer John Samuela issued a stern warning at a packed public meeting on Thursday, saying he is fighting a losing battle – one he can’t win alone.
‘‘I need your help,’’ he told the 100 people who turned out.
The meeting was called after the death of 21-year-old Bradley James Wahanui, who had used synthetic drugs. Three others in the town were taken to hospital because of the drugs’ ill-effects.
Feilding’s troubles with synthetics come after a spate of deaths in Auckland.
Wahanui’s family were among the crowd on Thursday, but did not speak.
Samuela has been in the job 31 years and said synthetic drugs had become a ‘‘real blight’’ on the community.
‘‘I need the help of the community,’’ he told a packed St John’s Hall.
‘‘I can’t do it by myself anymore. It’s got to a stage where it’s getting out of hand. We need your help.’’
Manawatu¯ mayor Helen Worboys, who organised the meeting, said police were fighting limited resources and could only act on information from the community about who the sellers and consumers were.
‘‘We say that synthetic drugs are not acceptable.
‘‘It is certainly not OK when our young people die... from using dangerous, even toxic, concoctions sold to them by what can only be described as low-life scumbags.’’
Worboys said dealers’ sole motive was to make ‘‘a few dollars’’ out of vulnerable people, with no regard to the pain and suffering they caused individuals, families and communities.
St John territory manager Geoff Bates said ambulances had responded to 763 incidents linked to synthetic drugs since July, nationwide.
Users were often aggressive and abusive toward ambulance staff and required restraining.
In some instances, his staff had responded to callouts only for the user to refuse treatment.
‘‘And then we’re back there two hours later in the same state,’’ Bates said.
‘‘I don’t want to see them in that way and my staff don’t.
‘‘If you know someone that’s on it, make the call. Talk to them about it.’’