Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
HEROIN SPIKE
A&E doctor warns of a ‘severe’ rise in overdoses PSNI clamps down on gangsters dealing drugs
NORTHERN Ireland’s emergency departments are being crippled by a “severe” increase in heroin overdoses, we can reveal.
A casualty consultant said it now “seems to be as easy as getting a pizza” for junkies to get their fix on our streets.
Dr Aisling Diamond, who works at Belfast’s Mater Hospital, said over the past 24 months the scale of the problem has grown to such an extent it is now a “major” issue.
She added: “It’s on the increase. We’re probably underestimating how much is out there.
“On a recent evening shift, out of the four resuscitation areas, three of them were occupied by people who had taken heroin overdoses.
“When I started as a consultant I may have seen one or two people a year coming in with heroin overdoses. Now we’re seeing it on a regular basis.”
Belfast’s heroin “hot spots” include city centre areas such as
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Castle Street and King Street, the Lower Falls, as well as Dublin Road, Great Victoria Street and Botanic Avenue.
Some users are coming from outside the centre into Durham Street, College Square and Lower Crescent, possibly due to green areas being cut back and cleaned up.
The Public Health Agency’s latest figures for the supply of naloxone, used to treat those who take an opioid overdose, totalled 807 in the 2017/18 year.
The heroin influx in recent years has been linked to Eastern European gangs and paramilitaries in Belfast.
Chief Supt Jonathan Roberts said specialist officers are “investigating suspected organised criminal gangs with international EXACT figures relating to heroin users in Northern Ireland are difficult to obtain as hospital admissions aren’t broken down into which drugs caused the emergency.
Statistics that are available show how many times Naloxone, used to treat an links”. He told the Mirror: “Heroin abuse is a complex societal issue affecting many cities across the UK and Ireland, which is being addressed by police working in tandem with partner agencies.
“Police will continue to use high-visibility targeted patrols and plain clothes officers to arrest dealers involved in the sale and supply of drugs and bring individuals before the courts.
“Specialist officers are also currently investigating suspected organised criminal gangs with international links regarding the importation and sale of drugs.
“We continue to work with communities and partner agencies such as Sharps opioid overdose, was given to those at risk. Those numbers saw a jump to 807 in 2017-18 from 271 the previous year.
But these are misleading as “law changes allowed the PHA to fund Outreach Services to supply the drug to clients”. Working Group at Belfast City Council and Belfast Drug and Alcohol Co-ordination Team, which includes the Belfast Health and Social Care Board and the Public Health Agency, to reduce the threat of harmful and illegal activity.
“We are asking everyone for their support and co-operation in tackling this problem through the criminal justice system.
“We know street-level drug dealing and drug misuse is happening across Northern Ireland, but we need the help and support of local communities to remove this activity from our streets.
“Drugs bring misery to individuals, families and communities. I want to warn people to be mindful of the dangers of taking illegal drugs or misusing prescription medication or other chemical products. “Those who deal in heroin should be aware that upon conviction, the supply of any “class A” drug will attract a lengthy prison sentence.”