Newry ‘awash with drugs’, claims local councillor after spate of assaults
Newry Sinn Féin councilor Charlie Casey has called on people to be vigilant following several assaults on local people.
Speaking about the latest incident Cllr Casey said, “I have been approached by a man who was the victim of an unprovoked attack on the Meadow Road over the weekend where he and another person were set upon by four men and seriously assaulted.
“The man that I spoke to said the four attackers were foreign nationals and he was clear that they were high on a cocktail of drink or drugs. This man claimed that only for the intervention of other people who were making their way home from a night out then the attack would have been worse.
Councilor Casey continued, “There is an onus on the PSNI to step up patrols of the area to ensure the safety of people who go about their business in a lawful way and who are continuously becoming the victims of assaults.
“Newry is becoming awash with drugs and people who I am talking to on a daily basis are saying that those who peddle in the drugs trade are getting a free hand to do so.
He added, “The PSNI needs to earn the trust and confidence of people, they need to engage more with local communities to find out where the problem spots are. It seems to me that the police are reactive rather than proactive when dealing with these issues.”
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