Cliff Notes
- Glasgow City Council initiated a cleanup of a drugs den in Calton, following complaints from residents about discarded needles and general filth in the area.
- Annemarie Ward from FAVOR UK criticises the council for managing public injecting rather than addressing the root addiction issues, arguing it reflects a "managed decline".
- Despite the establishment of a safe drug consumption facility, local concerns persist regarding safety and cleanliness, with anecdotal evidence suggesting increased fear among community members.
Glasgow City Council mobilises digger to clean up drugs den near UK’s first safe consumption room | UK News
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Council chiefs mobilised a digger to clean up a filthy drugs den near the UK’s first safe consumption room.
Glasgow City Council took action in Calton last week in response to complaints from local residents.
The council said discarded needles were safely removed, overgrowth was cut back, and other waste was lifted from the derelict land.
Needle bins were also installed at hotspots where public injecting is known to take place.
Annemarie Ward, chief executive of Faces and Voices of Recovery UK (FAVOR UK), accused the local authority of “photographing the clean-up like it’s some kind of PR victory”.
Ms Ward added: “What you’re really admitting is this – public injecting has become so normalised in Glasgow that the council is now designing around it.
“Syringe bins in public parks. Clean-ups in residential streets. Needle management instead of addiction treatment. No detox. No rehab. No recovery. Just managed decline in hi-vis.”
Sky News’ Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies previously visited the area near The Thistle – the UK’s first safer drug consumption facility (SDCF).
A makeshift drugs den was littered with drug paraphernalia and hundreds of freshly-used needles – with one even stabbed into a tree.
Long-term resident Vanessa Paton told of how the area was “becoming a toilet”, adding: “It is getting worse.
“The new room has appeared, and the problems have escalated with it. It’s a no-go war zone every day and night.”
Glasgow City Council has refuted claims of increased crime reports and a rise of injecting equipment in the area since the opening of the SDCF.
Councillor Allan Casey, city convener for addiction services, said: “The council has consistently acknowledged the existence of public injecting sites in Calton – a matter that has been ongoing for many years preceding the opening of the Thistle.
“One of the primary reasons for establishing The Thistle was to provide a safer environment for users and reduce the presence of discarded needles in public spaces.
“In response to these longstanding issues, we have undertaken numerous, comprehensive deep cleans and needle collection operations.
“It’s wholly inaccurate to suggest this is a recent development linked to the opening of The Thistle.
“Our community engagement forum meets regularly to allow residents – and businesses – to raise any concerns they have and allow us to address them appropriately.”
The SDCF – based at Hunter Street Health Centre – allows users to be able to consume drugs under supervision in a clean and hygienic environment.
Data from National Records of Scotland showed there were a total of 1,172 deaths due to drug misuse in 2023 – a rise of 121 (12%) on the previous year.
It is hoped the centre will help addicts access wider support to improve their lives, as well as reduce the risk of blood-borne viruses (BBV) such as HIV.
The Thistle opened in January. A total of 306 people (248 men and 58 women) have made 3,468 visits to the facility up to 25 May.
According to the latest figures, there have been 2,461 injecting episodes and 35 medical emergencies.
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Ms Ward, a former addict and now charity boss, helped draft the Scottish Conservatives’ Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill – which is making its way through Holyrood.
Speaking to Sky News, she said the city’s east end community had mobilised and was scheduled to hold another public meeting on Monday evening.
She said some of the complaints have included older women being too “scared to go to the bingo”, with others having “felt unsafe while walking their dogs”.
Ms Ward said FAVOR UK is not against safer drug consumption rooms in principle, but she does not believe the set-up in Scotland is adequate and would like to see more control handed over from public bodies to the third sector.
She claimed the nation’s treatment system attempts to “manage and control people’s drug use” despite addiction “by its very nature being uncontrollable and unmanageable”.
Ms Ward added: “We don’t have a treatment system that actually provides an exit.”
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson added: “We fully understand the anxiety caused by discarded needles. If someone reports a discarded needle in a public place we will have it removed within 24 hours.
“Various teams are working together to address community concerns about discarded needles in the Calton area.”
