Four out of five health and social care trusts in Northern Ireland have reported incidents of illegal drug dealing or use in their hospitals. While the Southern Trust didn't confirm any incidents, the other trusts reported very low levels or a concern about an increase in such activity.
Illegal drug dealing or drug use has been recorded in healthcare buildings at four of Northern Ireland 's health and social care trusts. One trust, the Southern Health and Social Care Trust, did not confirm if it had recorded incidents of drug-related crime or not but said it was not experiencing 'an escalation' in drug activity.There are five regional health trusts in Northern Ireland : Belfast, Southern, South Eastern, Northern, and Western.
The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust said it continued to record 'very low levels of drug related activity across all our sites'. It said it had a zero-tolerance approach, worked closely with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and encouraged staff to report issues. The Western Health and Social Care Trust said there were 'very small numbers of drug related activity' at its hospital sites. 'Staff remain vigilant for any anti-social behaviour including drug-related activity on our hospital sites and we work closely with PSNI colleagues on such issues,' a spokesperson said. The Northern Health and Social Care Trust told BBC News NI it had reported fewer than five incidents each year since 2020. 'We are not aware of any recent escalation in this type of activity at any of our trust sites,' a spokesperson said. 'Anti-social behaviour of any kind has no place in our hospitals or emergency departments where staff are doing all they can to provide care to those in need.The Southern Health and Social Care Trust said while it was not aware of any recent increase in drug-related incidents, its porters remained vigilant for any unusual behaviour.Issues at the Royal Victoria Hospital - which is in the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust - have been raised with the PSNI, leading to increased patrols and police dogs in emergency departments.The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust said it was 'concerned about an increase in antisocial behaviour including drug usage and drug dealing'
HEALTHCARE DRUG USE DRUG DEALING NORTHERN IRELAND PSNI
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