Shock as used syringe found in playground
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DRUG users are believed to have used a primary school playground in Thurso to shoot up heroin and other illegal drugs.
Youth development officer Ashley Sinclair was horrified to find a used needle and syringe lying in the top playground of Miller Academy in Princes Street, where she works.
The discovery has been highlighted as an indication of a growing drugs problem in Caithness and police are being urged to take a harder line.
Miss Sinclair (28), was returning home on Tuesday afternoon when she came across the drugs paraphernalia.
"It was lying in the open – the needle had been used and it had been discarded with the syringe containing a small piece of tissue," she said.
"This indicated it must have been used intravenously for methamphetamines or heroin.
"The attached needle showed signs of having been put under a flame at the tip, consistent with users re-using needles."
She took it to the nearby Princes Street medical centre for disposal before contacting Thurso Police Station.
Miss Sinclair is scared children are at risk from the "careless and selfish behaviour" of drug users.
With the new school session due to start in less than two weeks, she is now calling on parents and staff to be aware of the potential dangers pupils could face.
"The school has a good reputation and from my own experience is a great primary which does not deserve this sort of publicity," she said.
"It must be pointed out however that Miller Academy grounds do contain a number of small unlit and secluded areas and old shelters which provide open access to shelter from wind and rain, with the added benefit of being out of sight.
"These are high risk areas for illegal drug use and I feel it is the school and community’s responsibility to take necessary action on the grounds to minimise the areas where drug use can take place to keep children safe.
She added: "The thought of a child with a used syringe in their hand, totally unaware of the dangers of such an item, upsets and angers me greatly. We all know illegal drug use happens in Thurso, but I refuse to accept that this is a part of the world we live in and I feel responsible to ensure changes are made to stop something like this getting into the hands of a child.
"These people make the choice to use drugs intravenously and how they discard their used materials.
"They are choosing the worst place in the town to do so and, as a result, endangering our children’s lives."
Thurso councillor Donnie Mackay was stunned by Miss Sinclair’s discovery, saying he had never heard of incidents of drug use in school playgrounds in Thurso.
He said it highlighted the growing problem of drug use in the town and partly blamed the growing problem on the centralisation of the Scottish police force as well as other local authority services.
He said if services were kept at local level, drug misuse would not be so prevalent and called for urgent action to be taken.
"I’ve never heard anything like this happening in a school playground – the only word to describe it is scandalous," he said.
"These people need to be found quickly and brought before the court. Thurso and Wick both have a growing drugs problem and I hope the police can do something about it.
"But Caithness as a whole is facing bigger social problems due to services becoming more centralised – I think as a community we are going backward instead of forward."
