Belfast Council officials are compiling a report on syringe finds across the city amid fears of an “emerging crisis”.
The move comes after a motion was passed calling on staff at City Hall to establish the “scale of the issue” as well as “finding immediate ways of supporting those who live in areas and those with addiction issues”.
Councillor Tina Black, who proposed the motion, works in the city’s Grosvenor Road area and told Belfast Live the issue has “drastically escalated” over the last five years or so.
She says she is being contacted on a daily basis by people who have either witnessed intravenous drug use or found paraphernalia associated with it. Areas affected in the west of the city, she says, include Finn Square, Ardmoulin, Distillery Street, the pathway along the Westlink and Divis Tower.
She added: “This is a growing issue which is causing a lot of concern for people living in areas where these needles and syringes are being found. In February there were 30 needles found at the back-path at the Westlink. In August we had a community clean-up around Gorvenor and Divis and three times we had to stop it when needles were found.
“These were young people taking pride in their area, doing their bit but this is what we were finding. On Distillery Street some young people came to us quite distressed after seeing people injecting drugs. It’s disturbing that people in their early teens should witness something like this.”
Cllr Black says the report, which is due to be presented at the next meeting of the Council’s People and Communities Committee, should provide an “honest and realistic view of where we’re at” with regards to syringe drugs use and needle finds in the city. But she says that as well as “supporting” people who live in areas affected, the Council must also help “those with addiction issues”.
The report will “generate a full baseline of the contemporary issues facing iner city surrounding communities related to needle finds”.
Cllr Black added: “Increased on street drug usage and needle finds cannot and should not be a natural consequence of a growing city. This is neither acceptable or sustainable.”
She said one issue concerning people living in the areas affected is that syringe finds are often in the few green spaces available.
She added: “There are limited natural green spaces for children and families, but such areas are unfortunately becoming hotspots for this sort of behaviour. We need an honest and realistic view of where this city is at.”
The report is expected to outline details of the volume of needle finds; paraphernalia found; correlations, if any, between sites; removal costs and more.
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