Poverty blamed as drugs claim lives of four people

KIRKCALDY: Issues ‘must be addressed’ to help treat addiction

Kirkcaldy community workers have blamed a spate of drug deaths in the town on “abject grinding poverty and inequality”.

Unofficial figures suggest drugs claimed the lives of four people in the space of five months in the town’s Gallatown neighbourhood.

Residents are being taught how to give emergency care to drug users to prevent further tragedies.

Community worker Shuggy Hughes, from Kirkcaldy YMCA, said addressing issues of poverty and inequality was key to treating addiction.

“Too many people in the community are socially isolated, bored, lonely, suffering from extreme anxiety and related mental health issues with no support on offer,” he said.

Drug deaths are continuing to blight communities, despite a continuing police effort to remove illicit substances from the streets.

Police Scotland announced that since the start of the year more than £260,000 worth of drugs have been seized in Fife as part of Operation Prospect.

A Fife community is to be taught how to deal with drug overdoses after four deaths in just five months.

Mental health and addictions charity Addaction will this week teach people in the Gallatown area of Kirkcaldy the skills they need to help them save the lives of drug-using friends and family members.

The move was prompted by a crisis which has seen a spike in overdoses and deaths in one of Scotland’s most impoverished neighbourhoods.

It comes just days after it was announced more than £260,000 worth of drugs have been seized in Fife as part of Police Scotland’s Operation Prospect.

The initiative was launched by officers in April 2017 after drug crime was identified as one of the top policing priorities for the kingdom.

Since the start of 2018, the total value of drugs recovered in the region stands at £260,026.

Unofficial figures suggest four local people died due to long-term opiate use between the end of November and the end of April, a figure described as tragic.

Official numbers will be revealed in a Scottish Government report due for release later this year.

Community workers in Gallatown have blamed the situation on “abject grinding poverty and inequality”.

Shuggy Hughes, Aspiring Gallatown development worker with Kirkcaldy YMCA, said services had moved in to support the neighbourhood and respond to what is a Scotland-wide crisis in a local way. He said: “We can’t solve this by trying to fix a problem or treat an addiction in isolation.

“It’s much more about people feeling like they belong, having something to do and feeling valued for their skills to give them a bit of self-worth.”

The Scottish Government-funded Aspiring Gallatown project asked local people what they liked about their community and how it could be improved.

“It was through this work that we realised there was a serious local problem with addictions and overdoses,” said Shuggy. “We also had great ideas on what needs to happen to change things and support people – safe spaces to meet and talk, much more localised services and help with mental and physical health problems.”

We can’t solve this by trying to fix a problem or treat an addiction in isolation. SHUGGY HUGHES

Picture: Steven Brown. Police officers force entry to a property in Kirkcaldy during a drug raid.