Discarded needle reports reach 10-year high in Glasgow
- Published
The number of reports from Glasgow residents has risen every year since 2015
Reports of discarded needles and other drug-taking equipment in Glasgow are at the highest level in a decade, figures obtained by BBC Scotland suggest.
The council was contacted 802 times last year by residents asking for items to be removed from public places.
That was double the number of requests in 2015, and higher than the 747 reports which were made in 2012.
Glasgow City Council said a rapid response team was dispatched every time a report was received.
A spokesperson said the creation of a safer drug consumption facility would help ensure that items were disposed of properly.
There are estimated to be about 500 individuals who inject in public areas in Glasgow.
Christine Keegan said residents felt angry and disappointed
Christine Keegan, from Maryhill, has found used needles in a park where her 10-year-old son plays. She has contacted the council and local police, but feels not enough has been done.
She said: "We're feeling quite angry and a bit disappointed that we've not really had a lot of help with the issue."
Ms Keegan said she was open to the idea of opening a safer drug consumption facility in an effort to tackle the problem.
"I think they need somewhere they can go and inject safely and dispose of their needles safely," she said.
BBC Scotland asked the city council for the number of requests it had received to deal with discarded syringes and other drug-related items over the last 10 years.
That number had fallen from 747 in 2012 to 385 to 2015, before increasing to 802 in 2019.
It has been suggested that increased awareness may have led to an increase in reporting, although some believe it is a long-standing problem.
Glasgow City Council said it had recently opened an Enhanced Drug Treatment Service which seeks to address the addiction issues of some of the city's most chaotic drugs users.
"It is anticipated that this service will help to reduce to drug-related litter in affected communities," said a spokesperson.
The council has also been calling for a safer drug consumption facility to encourage users to inject drugs in a safe and clean environment, where drug paraphernalia would be dealt with as clinical waste.
The Scottish Drugs Forum said the public health risk posed by discarded drug-taking equipment was low.
Kirsten Horsburgh, from the organisation, said: "We can't avoid the obvious solution to public injecting, which is a safer drug consumption facility."
Some other countries have adopted that approach. In Sydney, sharps bins can be found in community centres, libraries and parks to reduce drug litter.
However, such facilities would require a change in UK drug law and the Home Office has said there are no plans to do so.