The news portal tv3.lt reported on the problems of drug use and distribution earlier – at that time, it became clear that part of the population was tired of intoxicated people behaving strangely in public spaces, started filming them and uploading videos to social networks.
And here, in one group of residents of Naujininkai district, last Thursday, one post attracted a lot of attention, which shows two photos taken at the children’s playground. Right next to the swing is a bunch of scattered syringes. It is believed that the photo was taken in the yard of one of the apartment buildings near Šaltkalvių street.
Some residents wrote angry comments. One resident says that the police are powerless, because the drug business is extremely profitable.
“Drugs – a source of profit for someone, or if it is more correct, a big business, buses cannot be shared otherwiseuh syringeuh. It is good that the Seimas legalized drugstobet not availableuhmuheven worse buhi.euh. Police ka you can do it, it will drive away at the same time, and what’s next? “, the resident thought, mentioning the low-threshold services provided in the area.
Another resident noticed that drugs are often sold near the Maxima store located near Darius and Girėnos streets.
“They promisea two years already. I understand that there is an obligationlack of ūnas, but near Darius and Girėnas maxims trade is going on, so even though every 3 years some sort of raids and inspections would be done“, the resident complained.
One man offered to serve the residents to take order.
“Once again, there is no order in the area – they will run away on their own,” the man wrote.
Well, according to the other man, many syringes can also be found in the bushes, which can be dangerous for children.
“There’s a million syringes down the whole mountain, in all the bushes. Protect the children“, the man wrote.
oldbro – there is a problem
Raimondas Lingys, the elder of Naujininkai, says that quite a few drug users visit Naujininkai, and they often litter. However, according to R. Lingis, Naujininkai seniority does not hide its problems.
“The problem is – there is nothing to hide. Various programs are underway – there is also a low-threshold program,” said R. Lingys.
The low-threshold program mentioned by Seniūna has been running in Naujininkai for some time – on weekdays, at the address Darius ir Girėno st. 13, you can find a small bus that provides low-threshold services. Among these services, clean syringes can be obtained by returning a used syringe.
“Yes, according to that program, there is a bus and syringes are distributed to prevent the spread of HIV and other infectious diseases. But syringes are shared in the case where the user brings an old, used syringe. A new syringe is then given. This avoids sharing the same syringe,” said the elder.
“According to the polyclinic’s data, about 50,000 syringes, just thanks to the bus,” added the elder.
According to the elder, because of this service, drug addicts often gather around Šaltkalvii Street and the Maxima store nearby. So now the council together with the municipality is thinking about how to solve the problem of littering.
“As for that whole locksmith district – maybe I saw those pictures too. That place is quite popular among these visitors. They use syringes, throw them where they shouldn’t. The services are taking care of it, but it is understandable that it is impossible to fix everything at once – we won’t put a janitor at every corner to be on duty,” said R. Lingys.
“I understand people who are very upset to see such things – they see, take a picture and put it. Then we fix those places”, added the elder.
It is true, as the elder pointed out, last Friday there was a meeting organized by the eldership and Vilnius city municipality. During the meeting, it was decided that from now on, the company “Toksika”, which handles hazardous waste, will help collect the syringes.
“After the meeting, it was decided that the Toksika company will deal with the problem of syringes – we will indicate the places where there are usually the most syringes, and the company will help collect the syringes,” said the elder.
Dissatisfaction with the location chosen for dispensing syringes
Although part of the population resents any help provided to drug addicts, other residents view the problem humanely. It is true that the location of the mobile point is a problem for them – several educational institutions are just a few hundred meters away – B. Jonuš Music School, Vilnius Juventa Gymnasium, Saulėtekios School.
Elder R. Lingys agrees that the chosen location raises doubts, so during the aforementioned meeting on Friday, it was decided to look for another place to provide low-threshold services.
“That place is not exactly near the school, but there are dormitories and a temporary music school nearby.” Of course, parents are angry that they see inadequate, or as I would say, unhappy people. We will not say that a drug addict is a very happy person,” said the elder empathetically.
“But we decided at the meeting that we will look for a new place for the bus. Just today (Friday), representatives of the polyclinic attended the meeting. We went around several places to make it suitable for the community and the residents, so that the low-threshold program would take place,” the elder added.
The municipality continues to plan to organize meetings
Vilnius City Municipality (VMS) provides similar insights into the problems of drug use and distribution in Naujininkai. VMS press representative Gabrielius Grubinskas says that meetings with residents will continue.
“The municipality sees the problem of drug use and distribution in the territory of Naujininkai district, which is precisely why meetings are organized, during which solutions and concrete actions are sought to change the situation for the better, to ensure a safe living environment for residents. The first meeting was attended by representatives of the community, the police, the ward, and personal health care institutions. Meetings in this format will continue“, commented G. Grubinskas.
According to the representative of the municipality, the preparation of an action plan has already begun, which should help control the emerging problems.
“During the last meeting, it was agreed to prepare the necessary action plan, to continue to meet regularly with the community and to solve the issues of stairwell security, collection of disposable syringes, location of low-threshold services, hooliganism at alcohol sales points and destruction of drug distribution points.
Each of these aspects will be addressed in consultation with the community and other institutions, analyzing available data and proposals. Some of the set goals can be achieved relatively quickly, while others will require long and consistent work from all parties. Nevertheless, it is hoped that a concerted effort by all can improve the situation“, said G. Grubinskas.
The police have not yet provided an answer
The news portal tv3.lt submitted questions to the representatives of the Chief Police Commissariat of Vilnius County in order to find out what the criminogenic situation is in the Naujininkai district. – are drugs really distributed near the “Maxima” store, what preventive measures are applied.
However, we have not received an answer yet. We will add more when we get a response.
Tags: Published horrifying photos microdistrict capital hard
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