Coke on campus: Traces of Class A drug found in Octagon toilets

The Tab has found cocaine in the Octagon’s loos.

An investigation found that cocaine is carried and used by students on some of the University of Sheffield Students’ Union’s nights out.

Using Random Crackdown Testing cocaine swabs, we tested the loos at the Student’s Union and Octagon on Wednesday 19 March at 11:00am.

The scene of the crime: The Octagon on Wednesday morning

We began by swabbing the flat surfaces and sinks of men’s and women’s toilets of Foundry and Fusion, where results came back clean.

It was the toilets in the Octagon, however, that yielded positive results. The swabs indicated that cocaine had been used across all clean surfaces in both the men’s and women’s lavatories.

Random Crackdown Testing swabs turn blue within two minutes where cocaine is present.

We spoke to students who admitted to using the class A drug in the union’s facilities.

Jake*, 20, is studying Chemistry at the University of Sheffield. He said that friends regularly took the drug while attending the Tuesday Club.

Traces of cocaine were found beside sinks and on flat surfaces in the lavvies

“They wouldn’t be racking up or anything” he said. “Racking is where you divide it all up properly and take it off a surface, and no one wants to do that in a toilet.

“We used to just take it out with keys. You’d still want to be in the loos right at the back though, it’s easier to get away with. It’s pretty easy to take drugs in the union.”

Sinks, flat surfaces and toilets were all swabbed

Bouncers for student’s unions are at odds over whether or not staff are vigilant enough when it comes to drug users. Welfare Officer Rebecca Barnes defended drugs policies at the Union.

She said: “We of course have drugs policies that our security staff are well versed in as we are always trying to make sure that Sheffield Students’ Union continues to be a safe night out for all of our students.

Stronger evidence of drug use was found in the ladies’ loos compared to mens’.

“We have close links with the team at Arundel Street Project and their text number for open and honest advice about drugs can be found alongside other safety messages on our publicity.”

We tested this surface in the men’s loos…

…and this is what we found (you dirty boys)

Nick, 23, has been a bouncer for Student Unions for 2 years. He began working as a bouncer for Loughborough Student’s Union while in his last year of University.

Nick said: “Its quite hard to catch people taking drugs because the loos get so packed on a night out. Only female bouncers can check the female loos and there’s generally less female security members than there are male, so the girl’s loos don’t get checked so often.

“People tend to get kicked out more because they look off their face and visibly high. It’s hard to catch people in the act because it’s a relatively short bit of time compared with the actual night out.

“I’ve never caught anyone in the act of taking drugs, but I have kicked people out for being quite obviously under the influence.”

* Some names have been changed to protect their identity.