Boy's jabbing by heroin needle 'shows lack of Garda presence'
Pressure is mounting in Cork to have a greater presence of Gardaí after a young boy was jabbed by a heroin addict's needle while playing at a school on the northside of the city.
The five-year-old was treated in hospital after he picked up the needle which had been thrown into the play area of the North Presentation Primary School minutes before break time yesterday.
He was taken to Mercy University Hospital for tests. His family now face an anxious time as await results of those tests.
The school says the incident occurred because of issues outside of the school, and outside of its control. The Board of management is already working with gardaí to address concerns about anti-social behaviour in the lanes around Gerald Griffin Street.
Parents dropping children off at school yesterday reported seeing two separate incidents of drug users "shooting up" nearby.
The school says the yard is checked daily by the caretaker, who clears any litter or hazards from the yard.
Speaking to Red FM News Local Sinn Féin councillor Thomas Gould said the money had to be found to increase gardaí on the beat to combat such incidents.
"If you have drug dealers and people taking drugs and they know there's a garda presence on the ground, they won't be there," he said.
"If they know they can be arrested or the drugs taken off them then they'll go in doors - but they feel so confident at the moment".
"I just want to make it clear - this is not a northside issue, it's a citywide issue."
For more, see Eoin English's
