@boy

but saying that, I turned on the news to find this headline !
Terrifying car-jacking bid like worst of US, say police
http://www.theage.com.au/news/nation...d=rss_national

The world has problems wherever you go I guess ;-)

Shakmaty

I've been going to Noble Park each week for the past year. The tension between the African, Bosnian, Serbian and Italian communities is almost tangible. Especially over the past few weeks since that kid was shot.

Sugo

Collingwood has its dodgy parts, but its turning into a nicer suburb, and most people on average incomes cant afford to buy here, our combined income is above average, we certainly cant buy.

Its not that bad, i feel safe walking to work, was suprised at how obvious the druggies are. I usually dont like the 'not in my back yard' brigade but im begining to sympathise a little. Drugs are out there, there is little anyone can do, i even to an extent believe in moving money from law enforcement and putting it into treatment. Decriminalise taking drugs so people can have more access to detox. However their should be harsher penalties for supply.

I think Melbournites expect and have learnt to live alongside the druggies. At least they provide sharp bins in the public toilets, and the alley at the back of our property is road sweeped weekly, thought it was weird a back alley having a roadsweeper until i found the needles.

Sagacity

Agree, I was thinking about break-in rates rather than overall crime rates when speaking about Collingwood. It tops the charts there: http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/conne...me+statistics/

Sagacity

As for my personal experience with druggies in Melbourne over the 2 1/2 years that I've lived here, I can say that I've seen drug addicts around in certain places at certain times, i.e.

1) Melbourne City - any time after 6pm;
2) Richmond - night/early morning;
3) St Kilda - just about any time on the weekend, mostly nights/early morning weekdays (was unlucky enough to sign up with a fitness club over there so have seen quite a bit going on, including brazen break-ins on Fitzroy St with crowds passing by 'not noticing' anything, ahem, me included);
4) Prahran/Windsor around Chapel St at night - to a lesser extent compared to the above suburbs.

I haven't seen a syringe lying around on the ground in the suburb I live in. Haven't seen any druggies either. Our druggies must be very discreet and environmentally friendly .

Spikey

I work in the drug and alcohol field here in Melbourne, and used to in London a few years ago. I don't think it's any worse here - although heroin seems much more popular than in London (cocaine is more the drug of choice in London). Something to do with a large influx of heroin in 2000 - apparently The Herald Sun used to put the death toll from heroin in the paper along with the death toll from road accidents!

Alcohol is still the main problematic drug for most people, just as it was in London.

ozzieeagle

Its funny how people react differently to this subject. Now my kids have all been brought up in the city. I think that it's a great thing that my kids have expeirenced all sorts of influences good and bad, by mixing with a greater number of people that inner city living affords. My reasoning behind this is if they are exposed to negative things and see the effects it has on people, then they realise that older adolescents and Adults can make bad choices in life, which is obvious when they see people affected by drugs. There are so many choices in the city, which to me seem to be limitless in their scope. They can even go horseriding down at Collingwood childrens farm for example.

Conversely when you look at young people brought up in provencial towns like Ballarat, Bendigo and Shepparton and the infamous Moe, for example, you will find that the drug culture amongst Teenagers there is a far more widespread aspect of their society than it is in the city. The reasons for this, in my opinion is lack of exposure at an early age, where the Drug taking is not seen as a bad thing by way of observsation, and rather a way of rebelling against the more traditional and conservative way that most in the Country life. Combine that with the limited outlets and places to go, and the fact that kids are more likely to know each other in the Country then you can see how a negative influence can run rampant against such a limited lifestyle.

Thats the way I see it. I've got 4 kids, the two older two 24/22 afaik (in fact the oldest is a total wowser) have never partaken in drugs.

Lets put it this way, if you think the drug culture is bad in the City, then you should see it amongst teenagers in provincial centres.

I may well be totally inaccurate in my views, but its the way I see it, and the way our lives seem to have run. One thing though I'm dead right on the drug culture with the kids in the country towns.

One other point, I bet you that most of those people you have seen around Collingwood taking drugs, are not from the area, and most probably not from a city at all.

fraser

Of course it is but it's legal so ok

As for drugs in Melbourne been here over two years and never been offered any.

So it's well overdue let me tell you

St.Georges Girl

Spikey

You're obviously hanging about in the wrong areas then

Sugo

You make some great points but i think i would freak out if my 4 yr walked in from the garden with a needle asking what it is.

ozzieeagle

Blimey so would I ! With the amount of sharps bins around, there is no excuse for people leaving that around. The only place I've heard of sharps being a issue before, is at the beach, where druggies stick them in the sand. I know this sounds silly, but the council is being lazy down your way if there are that many sharps around.

Last time I saw a sharp around here, was when Pentridge was open, and someone discarded them from a car into the Carpark, our older two spotted them and hence began a chat about the use of drugs.