From: Ian blenkharn@ianblenkharn.com
Category: News & information
Date: 20 Jul 2009
Time: 13:28:25 +0200
Remote Name: 86.133.219.108
Another news item addressing the shock of parents faced with the horror of their children finding discarded hypodermic syringes and needles, this time in Dundee http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2009/07/13/story13449171t0.shtm
Interesting that this report is from Dundee, a City with much more than its fair share of drug problems, and one that is at the forefront of some impressive initiatives to manage that problem. Of course, the Local Authority will be the first call for anyone discovering discarded needles. Calling the Local Authority should be all that is necessary to have needles safety collected and properly disposed. Indeed, a separate news item concerning another Dundee find gives phone numbers
http://www.eveningtelegraph.co.uk/output/2009/04/29/story13047239t0.shtm
But try the Council website and search for 'needle', or 'needles', or 'syringe' or 'syringes', or 'sharps', and you will find no practical information at all!
Unfortunately, this is quite common (see Clinical wastes in the community: local authority management of discarded drug litter) Web sites are the new front door for most Local Authorities and it seems remarkable that a City such as Dundee, with its many problems, doesn't create some simple information pages on this issue, with links from the A-Z list of services and via the search function. The page should give contact information and safety advice etc.
It costs nothing other than a tiny bit of effort to put some information onto an existing website. And if to do so may help prevent just one incident than there is no excuse whatsoever. So come on, Dundee, get on with it!