Mum’s horror at finding HALF-NAKED drug addict collapsed in public stairwell with bloody syringe as she walked with her one-year-old tot
The horrified mum made the discovery as she came out of the lift at the Bell Street car park in Dundee on Saturday afternoon
A MUM with her one-year-old was shocked to find a half-naked drug addict collapsed in a city-centre car park.
She came out of the lift at the Bell Street car park, Dundee, and nearly tripped over him lying in the stairwell on Saturday.
The man, who had pulled down his jeans and underwear to inject himself, had passed out by the lifts on level three.
A bloody syringe lay just a few feet from his prone body.
The mum, who asked not to be named, said: "My first reaction was concern for him but, I don't want to say revulsion, there was certainly fear as well.
"I was with my one-year-old and there were other children in the car park. There was a needle lying there, half filled with blood.
";We just came out of the lift and almost tripped over him."
Car park security guards were notified of the incident and attended to the man.
It was revealed in January that the car park was being used as a shooting gallery despite standing just yards from Police Scotland's Tayside headquarters.
Scottish Conservative North East MSP Bill Bowman said: "People across the city will be shocked by this image of what appears to be someone passed out after injecting themselves with drugs.
"The fact that this discovery was made in a city centre car park in the middle of the day by a young family makes it even worse.
"This is a very public example of the appalling problem with drug abuse that we have in Dundee."
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Mr Bowman added: "We need to address this problem as a matter of urgency in order to protect the public who may be at risk due to drug takers who could become aggressive.
"It should spur us all into action to do more to deal with the underlying issues behind this type of behaviour."
A drug support chief said the recent grim discovery was "relatively uncommon" and that it may be a "sign of desperation".
David Liddell CEO at Scottish Drugs Forum said: "All of Scotland’s cities, along with some towns, have people who sometimes inject drugs in public.
"Providing good quality treatment services which can retain people who can have a whole range of issues including mental health problems is the best means to help them and to reduce public injecting.
"Public injecting of drugs is relatively uncommon. There are real concerns around this - for members of the public and also for people using drugs.
"Injecting in public may be a sign of desperation and because it is rushed and in less than ideal conditions it can be dangerous – particularly as it raises the risk of injecting injuries, infections and possibly overdose.
"There will be public concern about this – partly because of the drug-related litter and the unsafe disposal of needles.
"These concerns have led to plans for the provision of a safe place for people to inject away from public places where people can use sterile equipment, be supervised by medical staff and engage with other services that can help move people away from problem drug use.
"The evidence is that such places reduce public injecting and the harms associated injecting drugs."
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