And What Would Have Been Lost If They Hadn’t Saved Them?

The alarm is sounding in the UK's first drug consumption room. A man in his 30s has overdosed in the "using space" – a room in the Glasgow facility where nurses supervise injections in eight booths.

Obviously, it's working just fine.  

He had only arrived at The Thistle minutes earlier, animated about being searched by police on the Gallowgate. Staff rush to help, bringing him from his seat to a crash mat on the floor. Our film crew is ushered out of the area while an ambulance is called and staff work to save his life.

I've only one question: why? 

Eddie Kearney, a harm reduction worker, tells us that the man had already taken drugs three times that day. "He's using a 'snowball', he's using heroin and cocaine," he explains. "He's been in there two minutes and he's on the floor."

And the title 'harm reduction worker' is a sick joke, isn't it? It supposes that the heroin and cocaine trade - which this initiative is helping to keep going -  causes no harm. 

Less than an hour later, the alarm sounds again, for another man in his 30s. He had been led to reception by workers from a charity, then made his way to the booths to inject heroin. Lynn Macdonald, the service manager, tells us it is another medical emergency.

"The first four weeks, there were no medical emergencies, and then this week we've had five. "It could be a batch of drug that is problematic. People are noticing a difference in the heroin when they making it up, saying they are noticing a green tinge to it."

But it doesn't stop them injecting it, of course. Nothing will. They are addicts.  

Lynn Macdonald later told us: "I am absolutely convinced that had we not been present during the overdoses we've seen within the Thistle, then people would not have survived."

And you feel that this has somehow been a good thing for society? 

It's Not The 'Cost Of Living'...

...because they aren't living:

A homeless charity has called on activists and supporters to march through Belfast on Saturday to protest against a sharp increase in the number of people dying on the streets of Northern Ireland’s capital.

And why are they dying? Because they are taking drugs and overdosing. 

McCusker, of the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP), said Belfast was not providing enough accommodation, addiction services and mental health treatment to handle the big increase in the number of young homeless people. Many mixed heroin and other opiates with other drugs, he said. “Most people we work with take a cocktail of drugs, which puts them at greater risk.”

The cost of living was having a “massive” impact on homelessness, McCusker added.

Aren't drugs and alcohol pretty expensive? And if you spend all your money on those, you've not got enough for rent? 

Extern has urged policymakers to open an overdose prevention facility – a designated place for people to take drugs under the supervision of trained staff, who provide drug treatment, mental health services, wound care and blood testing.

Great! When do they open a fake supermarket, so all the compulsive shoplifters can get their supervised 'fix'? Or allow predators to target schoolgirls under the eyes of the authorities and poli...

Oh, wait. They've already done that one, haven't they? 

Awaydays To The Seaside, 2022 Style...

Ahhh, trips to Southend when I was a child, with the family. I remember it fondly. But not like this:

Joan Tiney, from the Borough Hotel on the seafront, added: “I got down to the seafront at about 3.45pm and I could feel it and said I didn’t like the look of the situation.

“It was ridiculous and I am sure they were coming from London, Dagenham and Barking.

“It was mayhem and there was a horrible toxic atmosphere.

“There was no control whatsoever and I think police should have been prepared for this.

“Police should have been ready for it and I would also like to see knife arches at stations to stop them coming.”

Good point, so...why weren't any set up? 

Paul Thompson, owner of Pebbles One Café, was among a number of business owners forced to close early amid fears for the safety of staff.

He said: “We need to see police working ahead and planning for these of sort of incidents and there should have been planning as the weather was forecasted well in advance.

“We can’t keep having this happen, it was shocking and the stench of drugs along the seafront was unbelievable.”

Mr Thompson described the situation as a “shambles” claiming people openly using drugs on the seafront.

He added: “It was teenagers from London and big gangs, I’ve never seen anything like it. “They were doing all sorts of drugs including cannabis, crack pipes and laughing gas.

“My staff were petrified and the police were just not doing anything and there wasn’t enough of them.

“We were told the force couldn’t bring in more resources and there was all sorts going on.

“The chippy had to be turned into an A&E to help someone who was stabbed.”

Sounds like the police were totally wrong-footed here. Boy, they must feel really sheepish, right? 

A police chief in Southend has rubbished claims his officers lost control of the streets on Friday and inists the force did everything it could to tackle the fighting. Chief Insp Ian Hughes, District Commander for Southend, is also adamant his officers were prepared for trouble as large crowds gathered on the seafront as temperatres soared. Speaking to the Echo, Mr Hughes said: “I do not think we could have done any more"

Really? The ratepayers seem to think differently... 

He added: “I am not aware of any calls from businesses about having extra officers on the ground and if we had wanted extra officers we would have taken them from outside south Essex.

“It was not predictable and we do not lose control, my officers worked hard in a challenging situation and worked hard to work with businesses.

“The 15 stop and searched were negative and found nothing.

"We are continuing the work with operation unit to plan and work ahead.”

You've no plan other than 'deny, obfuscate and lie' as far as I can see... 

How To Ensure We Continue To Have An Inner City Drug Problem?

Well, this will certainly help!

The police panel, led by Hackney’s Basic Unit commander, Marcus Barnett, admitted that the Met has a problem with officers viewing inner London children as “adults”, adding that what happened to Child Q would probably not have happened to a child living in the Cotswolds, as an example.

Well, maybe because in the Cotswolds, a child is unlikely to go to school smelling so strongly of cannabis that teachers are concerned, perhaps? 

The meeting also revealed that Barnett knew about the girl being strip searched in January 2021. Officers were called due to a teacher wrongly suspecting that she had cannabis.

Not an unreasonable assumption, given her clothes stank of it.  

He added that the school “probably should not have called us and we should probably have understood very quickly that we had no role to play there”.

Why not? Drugs are illegal, aren't they? Aren't you always boasting about your successes when you find some?

"Better put them back, lads. The boss said we've no role to play here after all..."

What exactly do you think you're playing at? Reflexively cringing in front of the mob won't head off the usual suspects at the pass, will it? 

Chanel Dolcy, a solicitor at Bhatt Murphy, which is representing the family in proceedings against the police, said Child Q had launched civil proceedings against the force and her school seeking to hold both institutions to account “to ensure this never happens again to any other child”.

Translation: "Open the taxpayer's pockets, there's more money to be made!"