EU should not ‘declare war’ on citizens over rise in drug violence

EU webinar included a Neapolitan official spelling out his municipality's strategy to avoid the fate of 'Gomorrah' in the Sky Atlantic series

Ciro (Marco D’Amore) and Gennaro (Salvatore Esposito) in 'Gomorrah', referenced by Caivano commissioner Stefano Ciavela during the EU Drugs Agency webinar. Picture: Emanuela Scarpa/Hollywood Suite

European governments should not “go backwards” and “declare war” on their own citizens because of an upsurge in drug-related violence in many countries, the head of the EU drugs agency has said.

Alexis Goosdeel said that tackling crime associated with drug use and violence linked to drug trafficking is “extremely complex” and warned it needs a “holistic, not hostile, approach”.

The chairman of the EU Drugs Agency was speaking at a webinar on preventing substance-related crime in communities.

It follows heightened concerns in many EU states, such as Belgium and Sweden, over public gangland violence.

'Unprecedented drug-related violence'

A report by EU police agency Europol and the EU Drugs Agency last March said some member states are experiencing “unprecedented levels of drug-market related violence”, including killings, torture, kidnappings, and intimidation.

That report said the violence is having “a severe impact on society as a whole” and fuelling a public perception of insecurity.

Addressing the webinar, Mr Goosdeel said this increased violence could have a stronger impact on drug policy at both EU and member-state levels.

However, he cautioned against “falling into the trap” of using criminal law “to go backwards and declare war on [their] own citizens”.

He said there has often been a tension between a human-centred drugs policy based on harm reduction and the human rights of users, and one centred on safety and security concerns: 

The problem is extremely complex, drug-related violence, and if we want to continue with evidence-based responses, we need a holistic, not hostile, approach.

He said it is a “bad idea” to punish the people using drugs and to punish their families.

Mr Goosdeel said that at the recent meeting of the European Forum on Urban Security — bringing together more than 300 municipalities (none from Ireland) — the mayors said they wanted the active involvement of law enforcement, but that policing alone was not enough.

He said cities need huge investment to tackle various problems but that public health has been hit by budget cuts over recent decades.

The webinar heard about what was happening in the town of Caivano, on the outskirts of Naples in southern Italy, where a massive public investment project was put in place to try to deal with problems associated with the Mafia, drug crime, and teen gangs. 

Stefano Ciavela, commissioner of Caivano municipality, said there are three pillars to their project: Infrastructure interventions; improved social and youth interventions; and increased capacity of local authorities.

He said investment in prevention means that society is in a better place to “face emergencies” such as the drugs crisis.

He said the aim was to ensure Caivano is “not like Gomorrah”, the notorious Mafia-plagued district in Naples. The Italian Government said it has allocated €30m spending on Caivano and has issued a ‘Caivano Decree’ to replicate the model.

Charlotte De Kock, criminology researcher at Ghent University in Belgium, said investment in prevention — in schools, the community, and the local environment — is “more cost-effective” than the price of dealing with the consequences in the criminal justice system.