Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
AT THE POINTY END OF SYRINGE SCOURGE
Addicts’ needles dumped near busy nightspot
EVIDENCE of drug abuse has been found strewn on wasteland just yards from a busy nightspot.
Syringes and spoons litter the area next to the railway tunnel that leads from Botanic Station in South Belfast.
Local sources say finding syringes on the streets around the district is becoming increasingly common.
The images, published by the Mirror today, come amid plans to open more needle exchanges across Belfast.
The Public Health Agency, that funds the scheme, confirmed it “is working to increase the number of services” across Northern Ireland, including in Belfast.
At present there is one in the city centre and one in Botanic. The Mirror understands a new exchange is planned for the Village area.
The PHA said needle exchange services “positively benefit the entire community by providing a place for injecting equipment to be safely disposed of, reducing drug-related litter, and also reducing the risk of diseases such as HIV and Hepatitis B and C”.
It added: “They also provide those using the service with direct access to a health professional, who can support them in engaging with treatment services to address their drug misuse.
“Anyone who injects substances can use a needle exchange service and this includes people who inject opioids, steroids, tanning agents and stimulants.
“Where concerns are raised in regards to needle exchange services, the Public Health Agency and Health and Social Care Board will engage with communities and other stakeholders in determining how best to meet local needs in relation to injecting drug misuse.”
But Donegall Pass community worker Ina Shanks said: “We hear these facilities benefit the community, but we don’t see the benefit of people not from the area taking heroin and other drugs then leaving syringes on street corners for kids to pick up.
“The new exchanges planned, it’s only by luck we found out there’s one coming to the Village. Where’s the consultation?”
The PHA said the two exchanges in Belfast have been in place for 17 years and during this time, “there has been a significant rise in the number of people in Belfast who visit a needle exchange to get sterile equipment for injecting”.
It added: “In the last four years, the number of needle exchange visits is up by 82%, from 7,551 visits in 2012-13 to 13,733 visits in 2016-17.
“This is a key reason for looking to develop further services across Belfast and Northern Ireland to enable local people who inject substances to have
COMMUNITY WORKER YESTERDAY
safe access to sterile injecting equipment, a safe place to dispose of used needles, and access to information on other support and treatment services.”
PSNI Chief Inspector Gavin Kirkpatrick warned people not to touch syringes they might come across.
He added: “Drug and substance abuse is a complex societal issue. Although this is an issue being addressed by police working in tandem with partner agencies in Belfast, it is not on a scale of that being experienced by other cities.
“The sad reality is that we are seeing an increase in needle finds as people who use intravenous drugs are consuming them in publicly accessible areas, including derelict buildings.
“If anyone finds what they suspect to be drug paraphernalia, do not touch these items. Contact police on the nonemergency number 101, or if they are in a public area, contact Belfast City Council on 028 9027 0469.”