Belfast Council to hire two new city centre street officers after viral drug taking video

Belfast Council is to hire two new “Safer Neighbourhood Officers” following a high-profile incident of drug taking in the city centre which went viral on social media.

At a secret Belfast City Council committee meeting at City Hall last week, councillors agreed to the recruitment of two additional Safer Neighbourhood Officers to work as part of the existing team within the Community Safety Unit until March 31 next year.

It emerged through published minutes this week that elected members at the Strategic Policy and Resources Committee of June 28 voted for the two new posts at a cost of £34,088 per post, a total of £68,175. The posts are to be funded from departmental underspend.

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It comes after a video on social media showing a man in a heap taking hard drugs on Donegall Place went viral. The video has led to renewed calls to address drug problems in the city centre.

The report from the restricted committee states: “Following ongoing anti-social behaviour, crime and vulnerability issues within the city centre, including several high-profile incidents, the most recent posted on social media on Friday June 21, which received almost 1 million views, an emergency meeting was held on Tuesday June 25.

“The Lord Mayor and Chief Executive of Belfast City Council, alongside directors within City and Neighbourhood Departments, met with representatives of the business community from Belfast City Centre to discuss ongoing issues and concerns linked to ASB, crime and vulnerability issues.

“The discussion focused on several actions required to assist in addressing the complex issues presenting themselves within the city centre, alongside ongoing work by teams operating in the city centre from Belfast City Council, police, community and voluntary organisations and the business community.

“One action discussed was the recruitment of additional Safer Neighbourhood Officers to increase the footprint and profile within the city centre.”

The Safer Neighbourhood Officers have been in operation since April 2013 as a frontline engagement and enforcement service. The primary of the service role is to help address issues of community safety concern and associated anti-social behaviour.

They provide “high visibility” foot patrols, offer support and advice on community safety issues and challenge low-level anti-social behaviour. They also enforce laws relating to on-street drinking and environmental crime.

SNOs have experience in engaging with vulnerable people in the city centre and have training in de-escalation techniques, conflict management and first aid. Officers work alongside outreach teams and the PSNI to refer high risk individuals to specialist services.

They are also trained to administer Naloxone to revive individuals suffering from an opioid overdose and remove inappropriately discarded sharps from across the city. Officers work closely with Extern and the Complex Lives project.

The council report states: “The SNO’s over the past number of weeks have seen an escalation in a range of issues within the city centre. They have had to intervene with on-street drinking, vulnerable people in risk taking behaviour, administer naloxone to several people, tackle anti-social behaviour and remove inappropriate sharps.”

The PSNI said: “SNOs provide an invaluable service to Belfast City Centre and are regarded as one of the PSNI’s key partners in ensuring the city centre is safe and prosperous.

“The enhanced footprint provided by SNOs in the run up to Christmas 2023 was welcomed by police and certainly made the city centre feel and indeed look safer – a sentiment which has been shared by many retail partners.

“The SNOs are committed to safeguarding and signposting the most vulnerable in our society and often work in collaboration with city centre police around this – their enhanced presence in the run up to Christmas certainly did ensure that many of our community with addiction issues were given additional support during what can be a difficult time of the year.

“Ultimately, the city centre is unique and at times, a complex location to police – the support provided by the SNOs is invaluable and city centre police look forward to building on this evolving relationship.”

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