Pubdate: Mon, 24 Jul 2000 Source: Inner Western Suburbs Courier (Australia) Address: 170 Bourke St, Alexandria, NSW 2015, AUSTRALIA Fax: +61 2 93175780 Website: http://www.courier-newspapers.com Author: Robyn Asbury GLEBE'S DRUG SHAME A DE FACTO drug-injecting room in a Glebe park public toilet will be installed with blue lighting to discourage drug users after the Courier alerted Leichardt Council to the high number of syringes left in the area. During an afternoon walk on Friday, July 14 the Courier found as many as 25 syringes and associated drug-injecting paraphernalia in Glebe Point Road's Foley Park and several nearby streets. The council acted swiftly when the Courier made enquiries about the health and safety risks at the park. "Thank you for drawing council's attention to the issue of discarded needles in certain localities of Glebe," a council statement said, "Both the mayor and the general manager have taken a personal interest in this." The council responded by enhancing cleaning measures to ensure discarded needles were disposed of promptly. The toilets, which are locked at night, were being cleaned by contractors "regularly". This will be now be stepped up to daily cleaning and blue lights will be installed to make intravenous drug use difficult. Planned refurbishment work on the Foley Park facility will be brought forward and should begin in the next few weeks. "We are also working closely with police and the Leichhardt Community Safety Committee on various safety issues in the Glebe area and this provides a forum for discussion on drug use and how it is being policed," the council's statement said. Leichhardt local area commander Superintendent Denis Clifford told the Courier police were investigating the drug problem and drug supply in Glebe and were trying to involve more people "at the community level" to find solutions. "It's disappointing that, considering we have needle exchanges available, we are finding needles in the area," Supt Clifford said. Glebe Youth Service co-ordinator Dorothy Bottrell said a major part of the problem was that Glebe had no specific drug and alcohol service. The State Government-funded youth-service has been conducting a trial over the past month with a counsellor visiting the area every Tuesday, slowly building a rapport with drug users. The Reverend Bill Crews, Ashfield's Exodus chairman and a supporter of the safe injecting room proposal, said Sydney was suffering from a "bankruptcy of ideas" in the bid to find solutions and that simply making life difficult for drug users in Glebe was not the answer. A spokeswoman for the Member for Port Jackson, Sandra Nod, said she was aware of, and concerned about, the drug problem in Glebe. She said Ms Nod would be talking to Leichhardt police and the NSW Police Minister's office to find short-term solutions and would continue working on longer-term strategies to combat the social issues. * NSW Health's Needle Clean Up Hotline is 1800 633 353. - --- MAP posted-by: Don Beck