View Full Version : Mum shocked as 11-year-old finds 'used syringe
Mr P Cannop
18-Oct-06, 13:27
By Elizabeth-Anne Mackay
Published: 18 October, 2006
A CONCERNED Wick mother expressed shock and anger this week after her 11-year-old son found what she believes to be a used needle.
Speaking to the Caithness Courier yesterday, the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, claimed that her son had picked up the syringe a short distance from her home in Murchison Street, about 100 yards from Wick South Primary School.
It is understood that the 11-year-old made the discovery near a drain while he was playing with four other children from the area, including a three-year-old.
He picked it up to see what it was and then a six-year-old child brought the needle to the woman's house on his jumper.
She said: "I was frantic – I didn't know what to do. I was shouting, 'Did you ############### yourselves? Did anyone touch it?' What if heroin had been on the needle?"
Her first concern was to find out if the needle had been used or not.
"I phoned the police straight away and, when they came up, I asked them to check to see if it had been used. The police officer put on purple gloves and pulled the syringe and looked at it and said, 'Yes, it obviously has been used.'
"All I wanted to know was whether it was clean or not and I was told it was not."
However, speaking yesterday, Wick-based Inspector Mhairi Grant of Northern Constabulary denied that the needle had been dirty. She said there was no indication that it had been used for drugs of any sort, including legal prescribed drugs.
She added that any syringe is a concern and that it is alarming that children could be pricked by any needle, whether used or not.
Inspector Grant stressed that she has not been made aware that this situation is an everyday occurrence.
The mother involved in the find also claimed that the police were not concerned and didn't ask if the children had been pricked.
She said: "They told me to have a word with my children – how am I meant to have a word with a three-year-old when he doesn't even know what a needle is?"
Inspector Grant said that she had not been made aware of this and no complaint had been made.
The woman feared the potential risk of contracting diseases such as hepatitis or HIV from a used needle and immediately she asked the children to clean their hands.
"I would be horrified to wait to find out if my children had caught something because someone had dropped a dirty needle," she said.
The woman said she was speaking out to urge other parents to educate their children and make it clear to them that, if they do find syringes in the street, they should not pick them up.
She said: "If people are dropping needles in the streets and our kids are picking them up then I think the public should be aware of it. We live 100 yards from the school.
"It happens everywhere but we don't want it happening in Wick. I don't know how to prevent it but I'd like the community to be aware that there are needles being found in the streets."
Since the incident the woman has been concerned about letting her children play outside.
"My husband has been looking after the children and he said he is fed up of running in and out all day. He said that ever since the needle was found he has been panicking just in case the kids pick up something."
Highland councillor Katrina MacNab, whose Pulteneytown ward includes the Murchison Street area, said yesterday: "It's very alarming that a needle has been found in the street. I will be looking to the Highland Council to ensure young people can access information relating to drugs issues through our libraries and school services.
"It is reassuring that the concerned parent has gone public over this find. Drugs misuse is a social problem and it's a growing concern throughout the county. We are all responsible for ensuring our neighbourhood is a safe environment in which to bring up our children."
Some years ago it was suggested that Wick was in need of a needle bank but the powers that be said that this would make people think that there waas a drug problem and stoped the establishment of this bank. At that time Wick had the beginnings of a heroin problem and the recognition of that fact may have made a difference at the time. Now it is too late. The problem has escalated and now there is a real problem in the county. "It could'nt happen here", I have heard many times over the last few years. Open your eyes, it is here as it is everywhere else and it is too late to stamp it out.
Recently there has been a very short supply of cannabis nation wide which, IMO, has been engineered to increase heroin sale as there is a world glut of opiates. We, as a society have no answer to the Class A drug problem and it will get a lot worse very quickly.
Be prepared for drug deaths, dirty needles and all the other things that come with escalating drug use.
"The problem has escalated and now there is a real problem in the county. "It could'nt happen here", I have heard many times over the last few years. Open your eyes, it is here as it is everywhere else and it is too late to stamp it out."
I don't know why this attitude still prevails in Caithness; what makes us so special that we can have all the trappings of the 21st century but none of it's evils?
It's not even as if we do not know about the drug problem; it is talked about as much as the drink problem. Is it just the "powers that be" that don't want it known in case we "taint" our county or are we as parents etc., choosing to ignore the problem?
Metalattakk
18-Oct-06, 14:33
There is no indication that this syringe has been used for any form of illegal drugs.
As a daily syringe user myself for over 30 years, I am well aware of the many different medical uses for these life-saving contraptions. People shouldn't jump to the conclusion that this is a drug-addict's cast-off.
Of course, this doesn't excuse the original owner's shoddy disposal techniques. Used syringes should be disposed of in a separate, sealable container, and should be sealed with the needle snapped off so it cannot be used again, even accidently.
danc1ngwitch
18-Oct-06, 15:34
This reminds me of a time i was walking round the local harbour with my young children. One of them picked up a small bag and was playing with it. I had no clue what it was but as i took it away fom him i passed it to ma brother who said *yep drugs*.. some one must have had ta get rid oh it in a hurry... shame these ppl are so neglectful...
orkneylass
18-Oct-06, 16:48
Lord preserve us from the fools that think needle exchanges cause drug use, condoms encourage sex, information on alcohol creates alcoholics etc. Safety must always come first.
i think it is terrible that a child found a syringe in the street . but as someone else said, how can you be sure it is a drug addicts. syringes are used for other things than just addicts.
aside from that fact what really jamp out at me from the article was the statement, ' my husband is looking after the children and he is fed up of running in and out all day'. well that is what usually happens when you are a parent.
also why on earth are 3 and 6 year olds out playing in the street. even with older kids. kids these ages, in my opinion, should no way be out outside the garden gate without a responsible adult.
i think it is terrible that a child found a syringe in the street . but as someone else said, how can you be sure it is a drug addicts. syringes are used for other things than just addicts.
.
Caithness has a drug problem, statement of fact. Used needles will soon become the least of our problems.
connieb19
18-Oct-06, 19:48
Caithness has a drug problem, statement of fact. Used needles will soon become the least of our problems.
Exactly!! Why do people keep on burying their heads in the sand?
i wasnt burying my head in the sand, i know everywhere has a drug problem. i am not blind to that fact. i was just saying it might not be a drug users needle, but it could well and more that likely be. sorry if i didnt make that clear
connieb19
18-Oct-06, 19:58
i wasnt burying my head in the sand, i know everywhere has a drug problem. i am not blind to that fact. i was just saying it might not be a drug users needle, but it could well and more that likely be. sorry if i didnt make that clear
Sorry emzxr, my statement wasn't meant to be directed at you. I just get the feelig that an awful lot of people in Caithness want to play down the problem of drugs in Caithness.
The_man_from_del_monte
18-Oct-06, 20:02
These people are jacking up drugs into their arms and probably shoplifting / thieving to fund their addiction so the last thing they'd be concerned about, I'd assume, is safe disposal of a needle.
As far as I can see most 11 year olds these days are pretty clued up and wouldn't pick up a sharp object and stick it into themselves, I can't believe the child's mother expressed "anger" at the syringe she should have directed her anger toward her daft child who picked it up! Way too many parents blaming everyone else when things happen to their children instead of maybe blaming themselves for not giving them a basic grounding in "common sense"
thats ok connie, i know what you mean that some people are blind to the fact or just dont want to admit to the fact that everywhere, city, town, village, anywhere, there is drugs.
Naefearjustbeer
18-Oct-06, 20:42
Some folks are totally oblivios to drugs in the county. We had a drugs awareness talk at work and the man had real samples of just about every drug that gets abused. He even burned a wee bit of canabis resin to let us know what it smelt like. (He was licenced by the home office to do these talks). The person next to me who said he didnt know anyone that took drugs or had never even seen a joint in his life suddenly looked surprised when he got a whiff of the burning resin and announced that he recognised the smell as he had smelt it in just about every pub in thurso. Of course now with the smoking ban they are probally out standing in the street having a fly puff.
also is the fact that it was a used exposed needle..
dosent matter if it was a drug needle..
with all the transferable diseases.. *shudders* i would have been straight to the hospital!
also think of the damage a syringe couold do .. not to mentions to the eye neck ect.ect..
scary stuff....
we really do need to crack down on drug crime.. very heavy penalties.. real time in prison.. and no slap on the hands.
Naefearjustbeer
18-Oct-06, 20:55
Nah I am afraid cracking down on drugs hasnt worked. They should legalise the whole damm lot and tax it. Crack down on drug related crime ie robbing to pay for it etc just the same as they should crack down hard on alcohol related crime. I think you will find more crime commited by drunk people than people who are high.
Nothing that has been done over the last 100 years by anyone has made the slightest bit of difference to the growth of the international drug trade. We cannot stop it!!!!He who screams heavy sentences, police crack down etc. hasn'y got the proverbial scoobie. One day everyone will wake up to the reality of the situation and, as usual, it will too late. Everything has to be legalised and controlled.
Buttercup
18-Oct-06, 21:17
i think it is terrible that a child found a syringe in the street . but as someone else said, how can you be sure it is a drug addicts. syringes are used for other things than just addicts.
aside from that fact what really jamp out at me from the article was the statement, ' my husband is looking after the children and he is fed up of running in and out all day'. well that is what usually happens when you are a parent.
also why on earth are 3 and 6 year olds out playing in the street. even with older kids. kids these ages, in my opinion, should no way be out outside the garden gate without a responsible adult.
These people are jacking up drugs into their arms and probably shoplifting / thieving to fund their addiction so the last thing they'd be concerned about, I'd assume, is safe disposal of a
needle.
As far as I can see most 11 year olds these days are pretty clued up and wouldn't pick up a sharp object and stick it into themselves, I can't believe the child's mother expressed "anger" at the syringe she should have directed her anger toward her daft child who picked it up! Way too many parents blaming everyone else when things happen to their children instead of maybe blaming themselves for not giving them a basic grounding in "common sense"
Whilest I strongly disapprove of anyone disposing of syringes by just throwing them away, I totally agree with the above posts. It's high time parents accepted responsibility for their kids. Why was a 3 year old out playing in the street and surely an 11year old knows better than to pick up anything they find lying on the ground - let alone a syringe!:eek: Kids of that age are usually better informed about drugs than their parents and are fully aware of the dangers of syringes.
A few years ago the then current drugs enforcement officer gave a presentation in the Norseman Hotel highlighting the growing problem in the county of class A drugs. The presentation was given to emergency services people. To all intents and purposes he was subsequently ticked off by his boss for scaremongering. He was moved on very shortly after. Look where we are now.
PS. This is Spike posting under the wifes log in.
Kingetter
19-Oct-06, 00:27
Sorry emzxr, my statement wasn't meant to be directed at you. I just get the feelig that an awful lot of people in Caithness want to play down the problem of drugs in Caithness.
And the reason for that is, if you admit to a problem you have to do something about it - responsibility - something many shy away from IMHO anyway. That though is universal.
I agree totally with you, Kingetter, for long enough the attitude has been to bury heads in the sand in order to avoid having to fact the growing drug problem in Caithness.
Saying the syring might have belonged to somebody using legal drugs is just a cop out, you might as well say somebody might have been using it to fill inkjet cartridges.
When I go to Hospital and see that the careless disposal of sharps is the recommended procedure I will adopt the same "avoid bothering about it" attitude.
Similarly, just complaining that the situation can be ignored because children should not be allowed out of their gardens is just another way of sweeping the matter under the carpet.
As far as 11 year olds having the sense not to pick sharps up, that is fine. There is just one problem with that attitude, children, of whatever age, lark about and are not always paying attention to their surroundings. That is part and parcel of being that young and anybody who says they didn't do it under normal circumstances, well, I don't have to say what they are doing.
If accepting sharps are dumped in the street, and I include open rough ground and parks in that description, becomes the norm it can only be a matter of time before a child falls on one with the resultant problems.
Over the past decade I have seen the drug problem in Caithness denied, excused and ignored in the hope it would disappear.
Well, it will not disappear, it will grow and grow and as it becomes more lucrative as a result you will find that what you have now will pale into insignificance.
Ask anybody who lives in an area where the drug problem is out of control what it is like and you will accuse them of exaggerating. They will not be, and when crime and violence are almost totally out of control you will sit and wonder how it came to be.
It has happened in countless other places and Caithness, despite how people would like to think it is, is no different.
It can happen here and if ignored it will happen here.
All you have to do is to ignore it and continue making excuses for doing nothing.
Kingetter
19-Oct-06, 01:37
Old expression, still valid, always will be - someone's passing the buck.
my personal opinions are you guys are blowing this up bigger then it is. Fair enough some people in Wick use drugs. Yep its true but a drugs problem in Wick i think not. Now if you want to see a drugs problem take a trip to deptford in London, then you will see a drugs problem. 1 needle has been found, only 1. Drugs have been up here for ages i see it all to often, but there is no drugs epedemic to the state that everyone is ranting on about.
Dont get me wrong i have never used drugs and do not think it should be here. Taking drugs doesnt automatically make that person bad, it shows they have a problem that they need help with. Im not sticking up for anyone who takes drugs, the choice is theirs alone. But i think we need to calm down abit.
Feel free to persecute this post as much as you want, its my opinion. nothing personnel
Do you think the drug problem in London was born fully fledged. It started in much the same way as in Caithness, on a small scale. The problem is the same.
exactly gleber, born being "new" meaning a new thing which has arisen, so no drugs problem then if its just been noticed. I dont deny that it COULD be a problem in the future, but its hardly a problem now, which is what the topic is all about.
exactly gleber, born being "new" meaning a new thing which has arisen, so no drugs problem then if its just been noticed. I dont deny that it COULD be a problem in the future, but its hardly a problem now, which is what the topic is all about.
Young people are being targetted and hooked on heroin in Caithness as we type. That is a problem, don't you think?
Alice in Blunderland
19-Oct-06, 19:36
exactly gleber, born being "new" meaning a new thing which has arisen, so no drugs problem then if its just been noticed. I dont deny that it COULD be a problem in the future, but its hardly a problem now, which is what the topic is all about.
I think there is a much bigger drug problem in this area than a lot of people realise.If any good comes from the shock headlines in the paper whether blown out of proportion or not at least its got people talking about it and aknowledging that drugs are here no matter how big or little a problem and to anyone its a scary thought.
caithness import
19-Oct-06, 19:41
Back in the late eighties, in the village I lived in, a "used" needle was found in the bushes by a gang of teenage school kids. The worst anyone new about drugs then was dope and exstacy. The then class A drugs where only for city folk. Low and behold, there was a witch hunt in the village for the evil foriegn junky leaving the detritus of his pleasures kicking about for naive youngsters to stumble upon. Press was involved and everyone was in shock.
Transpires it was a mate of mine who is a diabetic and had to use syringes daily. I dont know if bins for sharps where available then and it was simply a case of negligent disposal or whether the seagulls had torn the bin apart but that was the cause of the weeks of horror.
1. Dont jump to conclusions.
2. My mate was crappin himself for months for fear of being prejudiced because of his ailment.
Most responsible, respectible, mature, grown up adults should know better than to cause the above 2 points. Sometimes naivity and quick assumptions can be harmful and dangerous.
I think there is a much bigger dug problem in this area than a lot of people realise.You're on the wrong thread Alice. You might try this one (http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=15296). ;)
Alice in Blunderland
19-Oct-06, 19:55
You're on the wrong thread Alice. You might try this one (http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=15296).
My dear Dr Szin ;) as always you are a true gentleman thankyou for pointing that out so politely.:lol:
It's been around for a while up here but there are a lot of people who seem to believe in the Ostrich Principle, if you avoid seeing it then it's not there.
The fact that in many places, especially in large towns and cities, the problem has been allowed to get completely out of hand and accepted as readily as getting wet when it rains does not mean that everybody should have the same attitude.
Just because it is accepted in some areas that gangs of young dealers will run round with automatic weapons and a school should be closed, not too many weeks ago, and the students sent home for their own safety because there is likely to be a "hit" on one of them by a gang from another area does not mean that such things should be allowed to develop everywhere.
No, Caithness is not like that, neither is it likely to escalate to that because the pickings are not worth it but, then again, there was a time when drive-by shootings and turf wars were things that only happened in Downtown Somecity in America. The same, "Don't be stupid, it couldn't happen here!" was taken in cities here.
At some stage, even in Deptford, there was a time when the first syringe was found discarded in a public area and I have absolutely no doubt at all that the attitude was "Only one? So what!".
Keep pretending that there is no problem now and that there never will be. Make the most of that attitude whilst you still can. One thing to consider though, at what stage does it become a problem? One death? Two deaths? When dealers are dealing openly on the streets? When dealers are paying eight and nine year olds £30 a day to skip school and keep look out? When a youngster main aim in life is to be old enough to be dealing themselves because the money you make is worth the risk of crossing the wrong person and being "blown away".
Don't be silly, it couldn't happen here, could it. After all, it's not like that here, is it? It was only one little syringe after all!
I couldnt agree with you more Jaws, Like a few people have already said there is already a problem up here with drugs, so why is it that everyone seems to take the attitude of it wont happen to us and why were the people who's kid found the syringe shocked? wasnt it only a few months ago that a guy from wick was sent down for dealing heroin? (and he only got 8 months), what sort of deterant is that?[disgust]
A lot of people complain that the police dont do enough, but as far as i can see its not the police who let us down its the courts giving out light sentences thats if they arent letting them off altogether.
its time people woke up to the fact that there IS a problem and that its only gonna get worse, but as usual they will bury there heads in the sand until some poor kid die's, i know that sounds hard but, hey wake up to the real world guys. if something isnt done about it now it never will be.
And its not just teenagers who get caught up with taking heroin its doesnt matter of age, race or sex it can happen to anyone[evil]
jemmima-june
21-Oct-06, 10:46
the drug problem was in Thurso and Halkirk thirty years ago when i was a teenager. I didnt know who had it or was distributing it but the smell never changed, and i was not one to follow the crowd so i was never tempted to try
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