NEW BLOODY NEEDLES FOUND

Cops Not Testing Syringes Found Wedged Point Up In New Waterford Park Bench

NEW WATERFORD - Two fresh needles coated in blood were found embedded
upright in a park bench this weekend, barely 24 hours after police
picked up seven syringes in the area.

Cape Breton Regional Police believe the angle of the hypodermic
needles discovered at Colliery Lands Park suggests malicious intent,
a spokesman for the force said Monday.

And this type of random attack could have deadly consequences if the
needles were tainted with disease, Const. Gary Fraser said.

"The creepiness is what's bothering everyone about this," Const.
Fraser said. "If (the perpetrator) is an IV drug user and they know
they have (a) disease, then they know they could be harming innocent
people."

None of the nine needles found Friday and Saturday were going to be
tested for HIV or other infectious diseases. Instead, police said
anyone who might have been pricked by a needle should see his or her
family doctor.

No one has reported being stuck by a needle, the officer
said.

Blood-borne diseases like HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can be
transmitted by needle. If someone is stuck by a needle, there is the
risk of being exposed to another person's blood, according to the
website for the Simcoe Muskoka district health unit in Ontario. If
the original needle user was infected with a blood-borne disease,
there is a chance it could be spread to someone else.

Police found seven needles Friday after a New Waterford resident
called in and said she saw some of them sticking out of a bench.
Police did a sweep of the park and found that most of the needles had
been wedged into the benches so that they would stab anyone who sat
down.

Const. Fraser found two more needles Saturday. This time, the needles
had blood on them.

Street drugs are still widely available in the community, said
Frankie Morrison, the regional councillor for New Waterford.

But although park workers "quite often" find discarded needles, Mr.
Morrison said the recent police discovery is "a brand new ball game."
The councillor said he has never before heard of people leaving
behind syringes with the intention of harming someone.

Local parents of young addicts have been trying to get support from
the province and Ottawa for a youth detox centre in Cape Breton, but
it's a slow process, the councillor said.

And unless people get clean, police will keep finding
syringes.

"It's pretty impossible to catch people at it," Mr. Morrison said.
"You'd have to keep a policeman at every corner, every park. We all
know the kids go down there."

New Waterford resident Colleen MacDonald said she still feels safe
walking outside, but she's shocked someone would try to hurt others
at random.

"It poses a threat not only to children, but to everyone."

Police are increasing their patrols in Colliery Lands Park and the
surrounding neighbourhoods. No arrests had been made by late Monday.