MANY Dublin Corporation housing estates have become "seedbeds" for druglinked activity, the Dublin City Manager, Mr John Fitzgerald, told an anti drugs conference at the weekend.
The corporation was committed to providing the resources needed to improve the "extensive pockets of social deprivation" and recognised its responsibility to "fix the environment", he said.
Speakers at the Citywide Drugs Crisis Campaign conference at Liberty Hall said gardai and local communities must unite to combat drug dealing and addiction, which was claiming so many young lives.
Mr Fitzgerald said the corporation intended to spend £85 million over the next five years on refurbishing housing around the city.
Of this, £20 million would be borrowed from the Housing Finance Agency, while the remaining £65 million would be generated from a shift from newbuilding to refurbishing and recommissioning existing properties.
If this money was not spent on urban renewal, it would be spent on prison spaces, he said.
While the corporation had traditionally played a "landlord role" which had kept it at a distance from its tenants, it was now accepted this approach needed to be changed.
It is hoped that a number of estate management agreements with tenant groups will be established before the end of the year.
"The reality is that there are extensive pockets of social deprivation, mostly confined to our housing estates. I can't say that I'm proud of that, but that is the reality of the situation. Crime and drug addiction are confined to those deprived areas," said Mr Fitzgerald.
"We have to fix the environment, otherwise it can be very difficult for the guards to police it. Many of these areas are seedbeds for this kind of activity."
Supt Noel McLoughlin, of the Garda community relations division based at Harcourt Square stressed the importance of gardai securing the acceptance of people in the community.
"We believe that on the one hand we need to make sure criminals are dealt with by the law, but we must be realistic and accept that this is not enough," he said.
Mr Seanie Lambe, of Citywide said an excellent relationship had been developed between some communities and the Drugs Squad.
However, uniformed gardai were frequently in conflict with local people, particularly at Fitzgibbon Street Garda station.
"We feel it is time to leave the historical baggage behind. We need a win for the gardai and a win for the community and that can only be achieved with cooperation," he said.
Mr Fergus McCabe, of Inner City Organisations Network, proposed a model for community policing which would involve the cooperation of local people and State and voluntary agencies in an organised structure.
Dublin Corporation and Garda representatives along with people from the local community would form committees in designated areas.
If the problem could not be solved locally, it could be dealt with by a coordinating team or forum, he said.
The target areas for the pilot scheme arc: North Wall, East Wall, Ballybough, North William Street, Sean McDermott Street, Gardiner Street, Hardwicke Street, Dominick Street, Markets Area, O'Devaney Gardens and Drumalee.