Deterioration of city centre 'a crisis' for business owners

The owner of a business in Belfast has said the current state of the city centre poses "a serious risk" to the city's reputation after his business was broken into and vandalised.

Richard Evans, owner of The Pocket coffee shop, said the "scale and severity of drug-related activity" and associated vandalism had escalated dramatically in recent months.

In an open letter to Belfast City Council, he accused it of a "total lack of planning, coordination and action" to address "an ongoing and worsening crisis".

The council said it was committed to making Belfast "the best it can be" and to tackling the challenges around homelessness, addiction and anti-social behaviour.

Two men have been charged following the break-in at The Pocket, which happened on Saturday morning.

A 39-year-old man has been charged with burglary, possession of class C drugs and assault on police, while another man, aged 45, has been charged with burglary.

Evans said the city centre was at a "tipping point" and would continue to deteriorate without decisive action.

His cafe was damaged after a beer keg was thrown through the window and the interior destroyed.

In the letter, he said businesses were "stretched to their limits, absorbing the costs of repairs, increased security, and the emotional toll of constant disruption".

He added: "We are dealing with addicts injecting in public spaces, including inside business premises.

"We are dealing with attempted break-ins, vandalism, and now full-scale burglaries where individuals, under the influence and acting out of desperation, are smashing their way into shops and cafes."

BBC News NI has previously reported on shop staff in Belfast feeling like "second-class citizens" due to shoplifting and anti-social behaviour.

Evans said rough sleeping had also "increased significantly", with vulnerable individuals "left without support".

He described the situation as "deeply inhumane" for those in need of help, and called for "immediate, visible, and meaningful action".

He said this should include a strategy to address drug misuse, increased police and community safety presence, a plan for supporting rough sleepers and engagement with business owners.

The council spokesperson said: "While our council does not have the statutory powers to set up new healthcare facilities, place people into temporary accommodation, or take action to tackle crime, we recognise the role we do have in bringing partners together and ensuring these issues and concerns are addressed."

The spokesperson said the council was working to support those who were homeless and vulnerable and also works with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to provide a visible presence in the city centre.

PSNI Ch Insp Andy George said the PSNI was "committed to addressing illegal drug use and supply".

"We have been working tirelessly with our partner agencies, to clean up locations where drug use was suspected to have been taking place, and to make these locations less welcoming environments for drug users."

He reminded those who use needles of the risk of discarding them and appealed to people not to touch them.

The all-Ireland Fleadh, which is being held in Belfast for the first time in August, is expected to bring 800,000 visitors to the city.

Belfast City councillor Paul McCusker told BBC Radio Ulster's Good Morning Ulster programme that the strategy around addiction and homelessness on Belfast's streets had been "very poor", particularly in the run up to the Fleadh.

The council spokesperson said a multi-agency approach would be in place during the event with "enhanced co-ordination between organisations, particularly in the city centre, to deliver a safe and welcoming event for everyone".

McCusker said there needed to be "planning around service provision, ensuring there are enough services to respond to people on the streets".

"When we recognise a problem we often just displace it somewhere else. We are not dealing with it."

SDLP councillor Séamas de Faoite has described the situation in Belfast as a "crisis".

According to de Faoite, Belfast City Council "have approached cities with different types of approaches about trying to introduce the right model of care".

"The council have been working on plans for things like an overdose prevention facility, also engaged with bodies in Dublin and Scotland about how they run their infrastructure set up for addiction," he told The Nolan Show.

He added a reason for this was that Belfast is a city that is growing, and where there are successful independent businesses and major events coming.

Last year, the use of a derelict building site by drug users to inject cocaine and heroin prompted fresh calls for a drug consumption room in Belfast.

Drug consumption rooms allow people to inject substances such as heroin under medical supervision, with the aim of reducing overdoses and drug-related harm and making drug use less visible to the community.

In March 2023, Belfast City councillors passed a motion in favour of setting up a safe injecting facility to help prevent overdoses among drug users.

But the council has no legal power to open a facility and a change in legislation would be required for this to happen.

In a statement, the council said it had engaged with the relevant statutory agencies to look at how overdose prevention facilities operated elsewhere and would "continue to advocate for evidence-based, long-term solutions".

In June, Neil Johnston, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, said that many of his organisation's 100 Northern Ireland members have told him the level of abuse staff face is a significant issue.

Some who are based in Belfast have signed up to a 'Business Crime Reduction Partnership initiative' to try to curb crime.

It includes access to an app to flag incidents with other business owners and to receive crime alerts.