Neighbourhood destroyed by drug abuse
“I have even seen the disrespect from those children when being confronted about their habits. What example are the parents setting for them?”
FERNWOOD – According to Fernwood residents, drug abuse has become one of the biggest problems in the neighbourhood.
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“I regularly see young children in parks either smoking or drinking. I even asked one of them why they were doing this to themselves, and he responded by saying he was stressed. How are you stressed at the age of 13?” asked a resident, who opted to remain anonymous.
He claimed tuck shops were selling cigarettes and alcohol to minors, which upset him and his neighbours. Confronting shop owners was useless, as they simply carried on doing that, he continued.
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“It’s all about making money. They don’t care about destroying children’s lives, as long as they are getting money.” According to the resident, drugs such as cocaine, heroin, CAT and dagga were abused frequently in the area. Allegedly, children resorted to stealing from their parents to buy their next fix.
“I have even seen the disrespect from those children when being confronted about their habits. What example are the parents setting for them?”
Residents believed visible policing would effectively deter drug dealers targeting children.
Lizzy Arumugam of Police Communications alleged police were not aware of any problems of drug abuse in town, nor were they aware of any such problem in Fernwood.
“We have daily police patrols around Newcastle, and we regularly do stop-and-search operations,” she said. However, police acknowledged drugs such as dagga, Mandrax and nyaope (wonga) were the trend in town. They also encouraged residents to report drug dealers and users
After discussing drug and crime related issues at a recent neighbourhood meeting at Suryaville Municipal Flats, residents, tenants and body corporate members reacted to the police’s comments with disgust and disappointment, and felt the problem was being swept under the carpet.
“It is as clear as day follows night that there is a problem. Daily we report drug abuse to the police, so they are aware of this. How can they deny it?”
