Pharmacy staff had to restrain 'monkey dust user'

The owner of a pharmacy has called for more support for drug addicts after a recent incident in which staff had to restrain a man in his shop.

Navid Kaleem said the man came into the Norfolk Street Pharmacy in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, behaving aggressively and agitated on Friday.

He said he suspected the man had taken the psychoactive substance known as monkey dust, which has been particularly prevalent in Stoke-on-Trent in recent years.

"One minute he's singing, one minute he's doing something else," Mr Kaleem said. "This drug is destroying our city."

Navid Kaleem called police after the man came into his premises

He added the drug was a relatively new phenomenon.

"I've been a pharmacist now for 20 years and I only came across this drug in 2018," he said.

Mr Kaleem recounted how he had tried to calm down the man who kept requesting a doctor.

"I was trying to show him compassion, trying to help him, but he was to-ing and fro-ing."

Staff chaperoned customers out of the way for safety and Mr Kaleem called the police.

Meanwhile, four members of staff had to restrain the man while waiting 40 minutes for police to arrive, he said.

Mr Kaleem told the BBC: "For the last three days I've not been able to sleep [as a result of what happened]."

He said there were no easy solutions to eradicating the use of monkey dust, but that he believed a "holistic" approach was needed.

"The people using [it] need proper support on how to come off this drug.

"Without a doubt, it's getting worse. Hanley has become a scary place because there's a lot of drug addicts around, people fearing for their safety."

He said it decreased quality of life in the city.

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said reducing drug misuse was a high priority.

"We are working proactively with partners and the number of successful outcomes from our drug referral programmes is increasing," they said.

"Nevertheless, we know there is more to do. We are committed to continuing to tackle all forms of addiction to create a healthier, cleaner city for everyone."

A spokesperson for Staffordshire Police said the incident was attended within 30 minutes of the call being received and a man was taken to hospital.

No formal complaint was made in relation to any offences, they added.

They said officers were dispatched on a priority basis using a national decision-making model.