CHEK News
A sign at Hollywood Park Playground reminding people to sweep (look around) the area before they play.
Some new signs are being installed at Victoria playgrounds reminding people to look for hazards before they start playing.
The signs read “safely sweep before you play, identify any hazards.”
The first signs have been installed in Hollywood Park off of Fairfield Road and there are 39 other sites that will have signs installed.
The city said half the signs were made in 2019 and priority sites were identified, but now they are being installed at all playgrounds.
“Playgrounds should be safe spaces and we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can as a city to keep them that way,” the city said in a statement.
“Rolling out these new signs has been part of our planning since last year. They are a reminder that sometimes hazards such as needles or broken glass are possible, and so it’s a good idea to do a quick check of the area before playing.”
In 2018, Victoria saw a spike in discarded needle prickings.
This summer, police said a man was pricked by a discarded needle in Beacon Hill Park and VicPD issued a warning about an uncapped needle found near Crystal Pool. VicPD also warned the public after officers discovered a used needle with a small amount of blood inside it taped to a handrail in Beacon Hill Park.
And on Aug. 25, an uncapped needle taped was discovered taped to a park bench in Centennial Square, police said.
Saanich also had a recent incident where a teen was pricked by an uncapped needle at Rutledge Park.
CHEK News
