Aerosols taken off shelves in Karama, as youths chrome
AEROSOLS have been taken off the shelves of shops in Karama after residents raised concerns about youth chroming
Northern Territory
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AEROSOLS have been taken off the shelves of shops in the Karama Shopping Plaza after residents raised concerns about youth chroming in the suburb.
One resident, who didn’t want to be named out of fear of being targeted, said Manunda Park had become a hotbed of anti-social behaviour.
He said that about two weeks ago, he found half a dozen deodorant cans littering a park bench.
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“I took a picture and went straight to Woolies and showed the staff a picture of what happened,” the resident said.
He said it was too dark at night to see what was going on in the park but assumed they were inhaling the contents of the cans.
“You walk around Karama and there’s cans around everywhere,” he said.
The resident of nearly 30 years has suggested lights be installed at the park as a way to deter anti-social behaviour.
The NT News visited Manunda Park yesterday afternoon and counted at least 15 cans in the park and along Manunda Terrace. Chroming is the inhaling of volatile substances to get an immediate and short-lasting high.
NT Police Acting Commander Tony Deutrom said since the start of the year, 17 referrals across Darwin were made to appropriate agencies, including Territory Families, for volatile substance abuse (VSA).
“There have been some recent reports of VSA involving youth in the Greater Darwin area,” he said.
While there has been recent reports of chroming, statistics overall show a drop in VSA offences by youths over the past three years in most of the NT.
In Greater Darwin, the number has dropped from 82 offences in 2018 to 47 in 2020.
Katherine has also had a decline while the Tennant Creek and Barkly region has stayed stable and the southern desert region has recorded an increase from 17 in 2019 to 33 reports last year.
A/Cdr Deutrom said police had various options when dealing with VSA offenders, including relocating people to safe places, seizing the substance and prosecution for supplying the substances.
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In a statement, Woolworths confirmed a selection of deodorants had been removed from the floor and were now sold behind the service desk.
The spokesman said products were also sold behind the counter in Gove and Katherine. The NT News understands the pharmacy at Karama Plaza has also removed aerosols from the shelves.
A Coles spokeswoman said Coles cleared shelves of aerosols when asked by authorities.
Originally published as Aerosols taken off shelves in Karama, as youths chrome
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