Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2007
Source: Oxford Mail (UK)
Copyright: 2007 Newsquest Media Group
Contact: http://www.oxfordmail.net/contactus/
Website: http://www.oxfordmail.net
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4170
Author: Matt Wilkinson
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?137 (Needle Exchange)

NEEDLE FINDS RISE BY 841

Hundreds of drug users' needles have been found on the streets of 
Oxford estates.

Last summer, figures showed 10 drugs needles were removed from 
Blackbird Leys, while two were found in Rose Hill and Iffley, and 
none in Littlemore.

But between October and December 113 syringes - or sharps - were 
picked up from the same streets, an 841 per cent rise. Advertisement 
continued...

Oxford City Council said the increase was because street wardens now 
have to record the finds in their street scene reports.

A council spokesman said: "The sharps data has increased in the last 
quarter because the street wardens data is now being collected for 
the same report.

"This is due to the start of the Neighbourhood Environment Action 
teams (Neats) whose aim it to keep Oxford clean and improve the 
environment in the city.

"They are to cover the whole city and have initially targeted 
cleansing including graffiti and fly-posting, highway issues, litter 
including dog fouling and refuse collection issues."

Every drug user's syringe was cleared by the council within half an 
hour of being found.

The average time taken to remove drug needles in Blackbird Leys is 26 
minutes, while it takes about 18 minutes in Rose Hill and 22 minutes 
in Littlemore.

Between October and December there were 60 syringes removed from 
Blackbird Leys, 39 from Littlemore and 14 from Rose Hill and Iffley. 
Out of the 113 syringes found, 89 were removed by street wardens.

The nearest needle exchange has been at Lloyds Pharmacy on Blackbird 
Leys Road, Blackbird Leys for the past five years.

Leys' city councillor Lee Cole said: "If they have changed the way 
they are collecting the figures we will need to see what happens over 
the next quarter.

"But it obviously alarming because any child could go an pick them up 
and could get diseases or infections.

"It is alarming that there were so many found in Blackbird Leys and 
maybe it is time to look at getting safe and secure places for the 
needles to be deposited."

The Drug help drop-in centre, Community Action Development (Cad), in 
Barns Road, which was run by Blackbird Leys volunteers, was shut down 
in May 2005 after funding from the city council ended.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman