Children at risk from discarded needles

Children have been exposed to deadly diseases after picking up needles discarded by heroin users who inject themselves on Cork streets.

The development needs an urgent Garda response, an independent city councillor said last night.

Cllr Mick Finn acknowledged the work being done by the Garda drugs squad but he urged Garda bosses to blitz the affected areas.

He said several residents contacted him in recent days after seeing drug users injecting themselves on lanes around the North Cathedral, on streets around St Fin Barre’s Cathedral, and in nearby residential estates.

“I have received reports from parents of children who were out playing and picked up needles and swabs left on the ground,” Mr Finn said.

“This is both a major public health risk and also an intimidating development for residents.”

He said the volume of complaints from people proves that heroin use is on the rise in the city again.

“This can only have horrible implications for serious crime here,” he said.

“It is a fact that, in areas of high heroin use, the severity of crime increases and this must be prevented.

“The scourge of heroin has devastated other cities, with addicts prepared to indulge in whatever it takes to ensure regular supply.”

A Garda spokesman said as a result of operations over the summer, an abandoned private building in one of the areas, which was being used by addicts as a drugs den, was shut down.

The current issue may be as a result of this building no longer being available to drug users, he said.

“We have received reports of this illegal drug activity and we will mount a mix of covert and overt patrols in these areas,” he said.

David Lane, the head of addiction services in the HSE South, said a needle exchange programme is also available in Cork, with two city centre pharmacies accepting used needles and supplying heroin users with clean equipment.

He will attend a multi-agency meeting today involving gardaí, Cork Simon, and Cork City Council to discuss how the needle exchange programme can be refined and improved.

But he said the heroin problem has remained relatively steady in Cork and Kerry in recent years, with about 300 heroin users engaged with their services.

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