Supply reduction is the fourth pillar of the National Drugs Strategy. In the context of illicit drugs, it is essential that efforts are continued to prevent the flow of banned substances into and out of the region and to interrupt the local supply of drugs where this occurs. Regarding alcohol, supply reduction mainly involves enforcement of laws regulating the sale of alcohol.
The Supply Reduction objectives of the National Strategy are:
To significantly reduce the volume of illicit drugs available in Ireland , to arrest the dynamic of existing markets and to curtail new markets as they are identified.
To significantly reduce access to all drugs, particularly those drugs that cause most harm amongst young people, especially in those areas where misuse is most prevalent.
The two main agencies involved in supply reduction efforts are the Gárda Síochána and the Revenue Commissioners, both of which are represented on the Task Force. However, other statutory and non-governmental agencies, as well as urban and rural communities in the region, all have their role to play (National Crime Council, 2003).
6.1 Gárda Síochána
The Gárda Síochána, as well as working nationally and internationally on the problem of drug trafficking, are also involved in a range of local initiatives. The Gárda Drug Policy endorses the partnership approach to tackling drug misuse, and places a high priority on "rigorous enforcement of all drug legislation as a means of reducing the supply of drugs within society" (Gárda Síochána, 2001). Three main priorities were identified in this policy:
- The conducting of intelligence-driven operations against all levels of drug distribution and the support structures that facilitate drug distribution
- The commitment of specific resources at both a national and local level commensurate with the threat posed by drug distribution
- Working in partnership with other groups and agencies including local communities, Customs, the Naval service, and both voluntary and statutory services.
In addition to enforcing legislation dealing with drug and alcohol issues (including the Misuse of Drugs Act , Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act and Intoxicating Liquor Act ) the Gárda Síochána also operate within the framework of policies including the National Drugs Strategy , the Gárda Youth Advisory Group Report , the Uniform Approach to Licensing Law Enforcement Report and the National Report on Drugs-Crime Linkage . The goals of the Gárda Síochána nationally are:
- To enforce the law relating to sale and supply of drugs
- Deal with underage drinking on the streets
- Tackle the sale of alcohol to those underage
- Deal with underage drinking in pubs
- Supervise licensed premises.
Each Gárda division in the GMR area (Galway West, Mayo and Roscommon/Galway East) also produced its own Divisional Policing Plan in 2004. Specific actions included in these plans are aimed at tackling alcohol and drug misuse issues through a combination of detection, enforcement, prevention and education.
Actions aimed at tackling alcohol misuse in the region include
- Strict enforcement of legislation and consistent application of Gárda policy in relation to alcohol sales
- Identification and prosecution of establishments that supply alcohol to minors
- Promotion of Age Cards for young people
- Maintaining a register of inspections of premises in each district
- Strict enforcement of legislation regarding street drinking
- Identification and targeting of public order flashpoints
- Contact to be maintained with members of the licensed trade regarding their roles and responsibilities
- Continuation of the Gárda Schools Programme
- Continued Gárda support for and involvement in the 'No Name' Clubs throughout the region.
Actions aimed at tackling illegal drugs include
- Each district to compile a District Drugs Policing Plan
- Inter-divisional sharing of intelligence and personnel to combat the supply and sale of illegal drugs
- Liaison with other agencies involved in combating illegal drugs
- Monitoring, identification and targeting of local drug suppliers
- Liaising with Criminal Assets Bureau regarding confiscation of the assets of drug dealers
- Liaising with nightclub security staff with a view to preventing drug supply and use
- All major music events to be policed
- Liaising with schools to increase awareness of the dangers of drug abuse.
It is anticipated that, within the framework of the Gárda Establishment Redistribution Model (a tool for the rational deployment of Gárda resources), increased resources will be deployed where needed in the GMR area. The assets of criminals involved in drug dealing are being targeted, and an application has been made for the services of the Gárda National Drugs Unit to carry out Operation Cleanstreet (an undercover operation targeting drug dealers that has been successfully conducted in other parts of the country) in Galway and other larger towns in the region. The employment of civilian staff to release Gárda officers from administrative duties, and the setting up of a dedicated Traffic Corps, would provide more Gárdaí for much-needed community policing (Doherty, 2003).
6.2 Customs & Excise
Customs Officers work closely with other agencies and are involved in a joint task force with the Gárda Síochána and the Naval Service. These bodies cooperate at a local level to prevent drug trafficking. The Customs National Drugs Team (CNDT) concentrates solely on combating the importation of illegal drugs into Ireland . In addition to its strategically-placed Intelligence, Operational, Maritime and Dog Units, all of which are mobile, the CNDT is also supported by outfield officials working in the GMR area who are responsible for the detection and prevention of drug smuggling as part of their normal duties. The CNDT operates a Drugs Watch programme aimed at alerting the public to drug trafficking and securing their cooperation in tackling the importation of illegal drugs. In the GMR area, the main bases for Drugs Watch officers are Galway and Castlebar. The CNDT also provides a confidential freephone number.
6.3 Partnership in crime prevention
Supply of illegal drugs, and illegal supply of legal drugs, are perhaps inevitably associated with a range of other law-breaking or antisocial behaviours, many of which impinge directly on communities. For example, alcohol is involved in a large proportion of Public Order offences involving juveniles, the prevalence of which has greatly increased in recent years (Clare & Digney, 2003). There is likely to be considerable overlap between supply reduction efforts and crime prevention generally. Although such endeavours are primarily the responsibility of the Gárdaí, the support and participation of all sectors of the community are also essential (National Crime Council, 2003.
Recognising this, the National Crime Council has proposed a Crime Prevention Model based on a partnership approach designed to integrate with existing structures. Operating within the Social Inclusion Measures Working Groups of the City and County Development Boards, this initiative would seek to identify the underlying causes of local crime problems and develop targeted interventions aimed at confronting current crime and preventing new occurrences (National Crime Council, 2003). The Crime Prevention Model emphasises the importance of intervention at the earliest possible stage, long-term planning and investment, and inter-sectoral coordination backed by a high level of commitment from management within the various agencies involved. These proposals were intended to be compatible with the work of the Regional Drugs Task Forces, and would therefore offer clear opportunities for ongoing collaboration.
Dealing effectively with the underlying causes of crime and antisocial behaviour will require approaches that have a combined focus on the needs of individuals at risk, building communities, appropriate community policing, and measures to tackle social, economic and educational disadvantage (Combat Poverty Agency, 2002). Local policing partnerships, properly resourced, would allow the Gárda to adopt a more pro-active approach in law enforcement and community policing (Doherty, 2003).
6.3.1 Working with rural communities
Participatory Drugs Profiling is a UK police initiative which emerged from research and investigation into rural drug problems (Davidson et al ., 1997). Utilising the knowledge and skills of the police, in collaboration with voluntary and statutory agencies, and with the involvement of community members (including parents and young people), the scheme aims to establish a shared view of local drugs issues and how they may be tackled. PDP involves drawing up an authentic and locally relevant profile of an aspect of drug taking and uses this as the basis for task-oriented group discussions. The programme was developed for use in rural areas, with the aim of providing for the particular needs and social circumstances of rural communities. Further investigation and consideration of PDP, or similar programmes elsewhere if they exist, would be useful to determine whether such approaches could have benefits for community policing, supply reduction and crime prevention efforts in the rural West of Ireland. |
