New drive against crime in Temple Bar

The Garda has denied a new drive against crime in Dublin's Temple Bar was designed to improve the area's image.

The assistant Garda Commissioner, Mr Kevin Carty, said the recent publication of photographs showing drug addicts injecting on the street in Temple Bar had not influenced the timing of the new campaign.

"This has been in the planning stages for a long time. We're not into media reaction," he said.

Mr Carty was speaking at the launch of the Temple Bar Businesswatch campaign which aims to prevent and reduce crime.

While Temple Bar had a reputation for alcohol-related violence, Mr Carty said, 28 per cent of crime involved theft from the person in business premises. A combination of drugs and alcohol was a key factor in other crime.

"People don't just arrive out on to the streets in a drunken state. Publicans also have a responsibility here. About 80 per cent of crime is committed between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. so you don't have to be a genius to work out that that's when people are pouring out on to the streets."

Much of the drug-related crime in Temple Bar involved single parents stealing to feed €500-a-day addictions. Despite adverse publicity, however, it was "completely false" to suggest Temple Bar was not safe, Mr Carty added.

"The area is one of Dublin's busiest and given that 40,000 people visit it every day, it would not be accurate to say there was a very large level of crime committed in Temple Bar."

The head of Temple Bar Properties, Mr Dermot McLaughlin, described the recent pictures of the injecting drug addicts as "unsavoury".

He conceded they were bad for business and called for a collective effort by businesses, Dublin City Council, residents, tourist authorities and gardaí.

Literature on crime-prevention methods will be circulated to the Temple Bar's 365 retail outlets, restaurants and licensed premises as part of the Temple Bar Businesswatch programme.