Parramatta Advertiser, 9 October 2009

By Di Bartok

AN EXASPERATED shop owner has made a plea to Parramatta Council to clean up the problem of drug and alcohol users driving away her customers.

The shop owner said another business in East Parramatta shopping strip had been held up at knife point and she had had to lock up her shop at times.

She said a methadone-dispensing program meant a cluster of drug users regularly loitered and argued on her doorstep, putting off her regular customers.

The problem at East Parramatta and Telopea shops has been highlighted before but the shop owner was driven to addressing councillors at last week’s meeting.

The woman, who does not want to be named, said she was speaking on behalf of other shop owners who were fed up with the problem.

While most of the concerns are police matters, council agreed to encourage police to crack down on anti-social behaviour in the affected shopping precincts, to regularly patrol alcohol-free zones and to work out how the methadone-dispensing program can work without impacting on businesses and residents.

The shop owner believes the drug program should operate out of hospitals or health clinics, rather than suburban pharmacies.

In her address to councillors, she said addicts on the methadone program clustered outside the shops and also sold methadone to other users.

“They stand out the front of our shop eyeballing us as if they want to start and argument, and manipulate us.

“They walk around off their head and we are left to lock our doors,” she said.

“The chemist, however, is barricaded by bars. Why is this if it is a safe program? Obviously they must not feel safe.”

Previously, the pharmacists have told the Advertiser that dispensing of methadone was staggered so not all registered users were there at the same time.

Police have also said they support the program as it weaned people off heroin.

Parramatta Advertiser (9 October 2009)