11.47% of those charged with syringe attacks are addicts

JUST 11.47 per cent of those charged with syringe attacks in Dublin have been drug abusers the Assistant Garda Commissioner, Mr Tom King, told the conference.

Quoting from Garda figures, he said that of the 3,579 people arrested in Dublin in connection with drug abuse during 1996, 189 per cent were heroin abusers, and 5 per cent were ecstasy abusers. Very few were abusers of cocaine.

Garda research further revealed that of that figure 85 per cent were male, 83 per cent were single (though some were cohabiting), 58 per cent lived in the family home, while just 2 per cent were employed.

By age group, 80 per cent were between 15 and 30 "the youngest was 12 and the oldest was 61". The greater number of those detained were from the city's southern and western suburbs, but "on the basis of the percentage of drug abusers relative to the (areas) population aged between 15 and 55, the inner city has the most severe problem in relative terms", he said. There, 5 per cent of that age group were arrested last year in connection with drugs offences.

From Garda figures he concluded that those at greatest risk, of addiction to heroin were young, unemployed Dublin males living at home in the inner city.

Addressing the scale of the problem in trying to stem the flow of drugs into the State, he said that 12 million tonnes of cargo will pass through Dublin port this year. "How do you open 500 sealed containers to find something one cubic foot in size and worth £1 million?" he asked, to illustrate the task. On top of which 10 million passengers would pass through Dublin Airport this year, not taking into account those entering elsewhere. "The difficulties become obvious," he observed.

He insisted, however, that cooperation between the Garda, the Naval Service and Customs was "ongoing" and rejected media reports suggesting otherwise.

Reflecting on the past, he said there had been times when gardai felt "that we were almost alone in combating this problem", but it, was "rewarding to see that that has changed completely". Last September it was felt at senior level in the force that any efforts it might make as a single agency "could never eliminate the drug problem", or drug related crime. It was also felt there was a need "to revitalise our contact with the community" when dealing with the drugs problem in particular.

Operation Dochas was born, an Irish word supplied by Mr King himself. He is from the Ballyconneely area of Connemara. On October 7th, 536 gardai were committed to the operation.

He paid tribute to the communities involved. "There has been a considerable bonding of community and Garda efforts," he said, and a considerable improvement in the quality of local life has resulted from "the additional uniformed presence".

Since Operation Dochas began 4,013 drug searches had taken place, 6,393 checkpoints were set up, 2,881 arrests were made - 2,325 of whom were charged - 4,272 summonses had been applied for, and drugs to the value of £2 million had been seized.

He looked forward "to maintaining a very personalised and community based policing presence in the relevant areas, "full engagement in the many, inter agency efforts now under way".

The single most important element in achieving anti drugs success was "the community itself". He sensed "a new spirit and a new energy" in the communities. In this "the 75th anniversary of Garda service to the community", he committed the force to "a true spirit of partnership" with State agencies and voluntary groups "in the interests of achieving a drug free, crime free, safe city environment for all citizens and visitors to this wonderful city."