By GEORGIA WESTGARTH
COUNCILLOR Roz Blades is proud to call the City of Greater Dandenong syringe-free, and says she wants to keep it that way.
Heralded as a drug capital several years ago, Springvale was once known as ‘Heroin City’, with needles discarded in public places.
But that has since been cleaned up under the watchful eye of Cr Blades.
“We worked very hard for a number of years and Greater Dandenong was syringe-free – I don’t think we’re in a drug crisis but I want to keep it that way,” Cr Blades told Star News.
After the Dandenong Journal highlighted the growing number of syringes in public places in July this year Cr Blades has decided to take action on the issue.
It’s a problem she has had positive results with in the past.
“When we had the drug action committees we were syringe-free – now people are worried about using council parks and gardens,” she said.
A member of the former Keysborough Drug Action Committee turned Noble Park Community Action Forum, Cr Blades has seen the clean-up of drugs over many years and said she would continue to raise the topic as a councillor and at the upcoming community safety meeting.
“The article in the Dandenong Journal raised the issue in my mind.
“I didn’t find the content shocking because I don’t think it’s at that stage yet, but I want to keep Dandenong syringe-free and want to talk about the best ways of achieving that,” she said.
Ms Blades wants to discuss the possibility of installing more syringe disposal boxes in public places to reduce the number left lying around.
“I don’t know if there are enough of them around,” she said.
Since Cr Blades first brought the issue up at a council meeting last month, the South East Alcohol and Drug Service (SEADS) has agreed to help out.
SEADS will determine syringe hotspots and any new locations around Dandenong in a bid to map out the best locations for sharps containers to be installed.
“The City of Greater Dandenong are going to upgrade the syringe disposal pamphlet and continue to work with Monash Health on the issue,” Cr Blades said.
