Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT council will ask WA health minister Amber-Jade Sanderson to look into why Vincent streets are being swamped by used needles.

Vincent mayor Alison Xamon attended a community safety forum in Claisebrook called to address a rise in antisocial behaviour where residents reported finding hypodermic needles in their gardens.

“One of the concerns is that a number of people are entering the Vincent area using public transport specifically to purchase and take drugs and then stay in the area,” Ms Xamon said.

“There are real concerns about how to ensure that people who find themselves in the unfortunate cycle of drug abuse are able to be connected with services to get the support they need and residents can feel safe in their communities.

“I am a big supporter of needle exchange regimes, as they ensure drug users are connecting with services and can be monitored and warned about dangerous batches of drugs going through the system.”

During the forum residents complained about the number of homeless people hanging out in the Claisebrook area, but Ms Xamon said a link shouldn’t be drawn to antisocial behaviour.

“Close examination of the types of behaviour being discussed revealed that it is clear that the issues are not from people looking for shelter, but a different category of behaviour.”

Ms Xamon said people had been deterred from reporting every incident because it was time-consuming, but this meant police weren’t aware of the scale of the problem and hadn’t beefed up their presence.

“It is important that residents don’t assume that this is something they can’t do anything about; reporting is critical,” she said.

by STEVE GRANT