A TEAM which does dirty and dangerous work cleaning up after drug abuse has been given an award to recognise its impact on the safety of communities in Leeds.
The Leeds Needle Collection Service won the title of Yorkshire and Humber Drug Team of the Year after its members' actions resulted in a vast reduction in discarded needles and an improvement in public reassurance.
The team beat off over 400 nomin
ations for the Tackling Drugs, Changing Lives Awards which recognise and reward unsung heroes across the country who go beyond the call of duty to tackle drug use in communities.
The Leeds team is one of only two dedicated collection services across the whole of the UK. Since it was established five years ago, it has collected more than 400,000 discarded needles, including 18,000 from the Quarry Hill area alone.
Operations Manager Frieda Haley said: "Although it was a complete surprise to us, it's great to be recognised for the hard work that's been done in Leeds over the last five years. Other cities don't have a team with the expertise to deal with the problem and, although it can be a dirty and dangerous job, we're proud of what we have achieved."
Presenting the award, Home Office Regional Director Jacqui Lewis said: "The team works hard to share intelligence with the relevant authorities, helping to make communities feel safer and reducing drug related crime in Leeds. Well done."
All information gathered by the team is shared with West Yorkshire Police, the Harm Reduction Outreach Team and the Drug Intervention Programme, enabling a reduction in discarded needles and the tracking down of drug dealers.
The Home Office launched the campaign earlier this year to highlight the work local agencies are doing to tackle crime, anti-social behaviour, drugs and alcohol use.
Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker said: "All the nominations in Yorkshire and the Humber were outstanding, but Leeds Needle Collection Service stood out for the remarkable work they are doing. These awards celebrate the great contribution they make in helping individuals overcome addictive and harmful drugs, which in turn helps their families and communities."
Across the UK 10 regional winners have been announced for the individual award and another 10 for the team award. Two overall national winners will be announced in December, each receiving £10,000 for their organisation to spend on prevention or treatment of drug misuse.
