Calls to mediate with drug gangs to end intimidation

TALKING to drug gangs should be considered as part of an effort to protect families and communities from drug-related intimidation, a conference has heard.

The call was made amid warnings that intimidation is threatening to “break the will” of communities and needs to be made a political priority.

The conference, organised by CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign, heard how drug users, their families and the wider community were being threatened over drug debts.

Examples include:

* Beatings, shootings, bombings and even murders linked to drug debts;

* Community workers and community groups are beginning to be intimidated;

* Rising suicides by drug users in debt — and the debt is passed onto families;

* Gang members are waiting outside post offices and dole offices to take money off families in debt;

* People are being intimidated and beaten over debts as low as €20;

* An individual who owed money was told to shoot another addict who owed money to “teach him a lesson”. He accidentally killed him, taking over the debt as well as his own;

* A woman who has been intimidated for three years was told she would be put on the witness protection programme, but has not, and has had a pipe bomb placed under her car.

The conference heard that gangs are getting younger children, and children with special needs, to hold drugs.

Criminologist Johnny Connolly said community mediation needs to be considered to mediate between victims and perpetrators of intimidation. He said it came with challenges, but said groups in the North had done it.

Graham Ryall of the Rialto Community Drug Team in Dublin’s south-inner city, said young gang members they were working with wanted to “strike more terror, wanted to be more violent” than their predecessors.

He said community mediation “had a huge part to play”. Daithí Doolan, co-ordinator of CityWide, said “imaginative solutions” like this were needed.

“People who are perceived to be involved in anti-social behaviour need to be part of the solution,” he said.

“If intimidation takes over you break the will of the community.”

Detective Superintendent Michael O’Sullivan of the Garda National Drugs Unit said a pilot project in Dublin to deal with drug-related intimidation started in March and would last six months.

This provided a nominated inspector in each of the seven divisions in Dublin, who can appoint a liaison officer to deal with issues brought to the inspector by the Family Support Network.

He said the project would be reviewed with the intention of rolling it out nationally.

Audra Cotter of the Clonmel Community-Based Drugs Initiative spoke about a similar project in Clonmel, which was entering its second year.

She said a review of its first year was very positive and that it may be rolled out across the south-east.

* Citywide: 01-8365090 or www.citywide.ie

Family Support Network: 01-8365168 or www.fsn.ie.