Cork City's Garda drug unit needs to be better resourced says TD

Justice Minister 'must give a commitment that no Divisional Drugs Unit will lose any additional gardaí and that we will see their resourcing increase'

Staffing of Cork city’s garda drugs unit fell from 23 members at the end of December to 16 at the end of September, figures from the Department of Justice show.

A fall in the number of gardaí attached to drugs units in two city divisional areas has been sharply criticised, with latest figures showing a reduction of 30% in Cork city’s unit since last December. Campaigners have said the drop in numbers is worrying "given the increased presence of drugs on the streets of Cork."

Staffing of Cork city’s garda drugs unit fell from 23 members at the end of December to 16 at the end of September, figures from the Department of Justice show.

There has been a reduction from 26 to 19 in the same period in the unit covering west Dublin, which includes Ballyfermot, Finglas and Blanchardstown. Meanwhile, the Dublin Metropolitan Region of North Central’s drugs unit has increased in numbers from 12 to 32.

The biggest fall in numbers has been in Donegal, where there were 21 gardaí in the drugs unit last December. At the end of September, there were just five. The numbers in the unit had risen from seven in 2015 to 18 in 2020, before rising to 21 last year December.

The figures were provided by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee in reply to a parliamentary question from Sinn Fein TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould.

Although the figures show an increase in the overall allocation to drugs units across the country since 2015, from 258 to 312, there has been a reduction in 11 divisions.

Worrying figures

Mr Gould said that the figures were worrying because “some of those most in need of well-resourced divisional drugs units, have seen reductions in numbers”.

Referencing the Cork figures, he said: “I know, from my own constituency offices and from my membership on the Cork city JPC, that there are huge issues with drugs offending in Cork city. Dublin West face similar issues. Drug related intimidation and drug dealing cause harm to individuals, families and our communities.” 

He said: “Last December, Donegal had 21 Gardaí in their unit. In September, this was reduced to just five. The reality is that we don’t know the extent of drug-related intimidation in more rural areas but from speaking to those in the addiction sector, this is a huge problem that goes largely unreported.” 

He said Justice Minister must give a commitment now that no Divisional Drugs Unit will lose any additional Gardaí and that we will see their resourcing increase.

Youth worker in Cork city and former Lord Mayor, Councillor Mick Finn, said that any reduction of drug unit numbers in the city has to be worrying “given the increased presence of drugs on the streets of Cork”.

He said: “It is more resources we need, not less.” 

The Justice Minister said that the Garda Commissioner has operational responsibilities for An Garda Siochana. But she said: “I am assured that Garda management keeps the distribution of resources under continual review. I am advised that this is considered in the context of crime trends and policing priorities, to ensure the optimum use of these resources. The Deputy will appreciate that, as Minister, I have no role in such matters. I can however assure the Deputy that the Government is committed to ensuring An Garda Síochána has the resources it needs to deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose, policing service, with the unprecedented allocation provided in Budget 2023 of €2.14bn.”