McCabe resigned over lack of funding for drug task forces

IT was people power that dragged the drugs problem to the top of the political agenda in 1996.

The mass street campaigns by working class Dubliners throughout that summer forced the Government to eventually take action.

Greater powers were given to gardaí and the Criminal Assets Bureau was set up. Equally significant, was the decision to set up local drug task forces (LDTFs) in 13 areas in Dublin and one in Cork.

"When you look back you see how divisive that time was the huge public marches and the huge anger," said Fergus McCabe, veteran drug activist from Dublin's north inner city.

"With the local drugs task forces and the National Drugs Strategy we overcame all that and people from community and voluntary groups as well as the State sector were working together. But that's beginning to unravel."

Mr McCabe resigned last week as the sole community representative on the National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST) a top-level Government body compromising representatives from key departments as well as medical and community representatives.

His resignation reflects growing frustration at community and voluntary level throughout the country.

Mr McCabe said the commitment and energy that marked the early years of the Government's strategy had faded in recent times.

"Okay, an awful lot has been achieved, coming from a very low base, particularly in areas such as treatment.

"But in the last couple of years, the focus and political attention has seriously gone adrift."

He said there had been a marked lack of progress in implementing much of the National Drugs Strategy 2001-2008.

"In terms of urgent actions, such as the community policing forum, the commitment was to set one up in every task force.

"How many have been set up? Three. How many years into the strategy? Five."

He said one of the biggest issues that led to his resignation was the funding given to the country's 10 regional drug task forces (RDTFs) and the 'emerging needs' fund for LDTFs.

He said, to begin with, the RDTFs were four years late in being set up. Then, after going through the process of devising strategic plans and looking for funding, they received an overall budget of €5 million.

"The amount they needed was in total €14-€15m and they were very modest plans. That to me was a bit outrageous."

He described the 'emerging needs' fund set up to provide an immediate response to new drug priorities in Dublin, such as cocaine and crack as a "fiasco".

"The NDST came up with criteria for funding. The LDTFs took those criteria and came up with good proposals.

"They looked for €4.5m-€5m. Yet, when it came to the crunch, there was not enough money to fund them." He said the initial 1m budget was increased by a further €2m only when the community sector kicked up. "That's not the way to do business."

He criticised the general lack of political will to drive the drugs strategy.

He said that where there was once a cabinet committee on drugs, the issue was now isolated in an expanded committee on social inclusion. And where there was once a full-time minister of state with responsibility for drugs it was now a "half-time" job, with Noel Ahern combining the brief with housing.

He said the overall drugs problem was "at least growing somewhat", and that action was needed now to head off possible new crises from heroin in the regions and cocaine and crack in Dublin.