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A DEAF COUPLE suffer a break in. A sight-impaired woman discovers someone targeted her house. A man spends his days selling drugs in Dublin city centre. A heroin dealer is said to be targeting a city park.
All of these crimes, and the impact they have on the people living in Dublin’s city centre, are explored in a new documentary to be aired on RTÉ tonight.
The series, called The Guards, brings viewers to the frontline of policing in Dublin city centre, showing how gardaí often do dangerous work every day.
“It is a cat and mouse game,” one man, who concealed drugs inside his body, tells the camera.
“You have to send it where the sun don’t shine. It’s either that or get caught with it,” he says of his actions.
Stop me dealing – no. I’m after getting caught, so I’m going to have to deal with that. That’s life for me, it’s the only way I know how to survive. I can’t work, I can’t get a job.
The new breed of dealers
The first episode shows how the gardaí are tackling the drugs trade in the north inner city, and the burglaries, thefts and assaults that arise out of drug use.
“The new breed of drug dealer, they grew up in the good times, where they’ve got everything,” says one sergeant, Ciaran Whelan during the episode.
You have to wonder – what is wrong with them?
CCTV footage of attacks on the public and gardaí is also shown – such as one where a man is mugged and his head stamped on while he is unconscious.
The documentary shows how Whelan’s unit has begun targeting a list of drug dealers, which in turn has had an impact on violence in the city centre. However, it also shows how drug use and violence can move around the city centre as different areas are targeted.
There are about 840 – 850 addicts per day who come into Dublin’s city centre to get treatment from clinics, which in turn creates business for drug dealers, says Detective Superintendent Pat Leahy in the documentary.
“With so many homeless hostels in the north inner city centre, a lot of them are kicked out at half eight in the morning, and they do what they do, whatever it takes to survive,” says Superintendent Whelan.
The two-part series also looks at the role of community-based policing and how gardaí interact with a range of communities in Dublin, such as calling to burglary victims.
“A lot of what you see daily is a lesson on how not to live your life, because you see the effects of drug addiction,” says Garda Declan Reynolds, of Store Street garda station.
The gardaí also detail in the show how they have been attacked, punched, and kicked during the course of their work.
“You nearly expect that something is going to happen,” says one garda.
It shows how some dealers will go to any lengths to hide their drugs and outwit the police, putting drugs in their mouth or other bodily cavities. Gardaí are seen surveilling and pursuing known drug dealers in the city centre, watching as they deal drugs on street corners during the day.
The film was made over a period of two years by RTE’s Barry O’Kelly and Zucca Films. It is the first documentary of its kind to gain exclusive access to garda operational units.
Episode one of The Guards is broadcast on RTÉ2 tonight at 9.55pm. The series will conclude with a second episode tackling public order, street crime and policing large scale events on 24 May.
Absolutely terrible for the community. We support you all.
@Philip Gallagher:
There’s a large spar across the road and a very large Tesco about a mile away. Community will get by.
@Sequoia: is that right?
@Sequoia: there’s no spar ya eejit
@Sequoia: I’m from the community, no spar across the road. People have lost their jobs. Community has lost a friendly local shop, a post office, a chipper. Pensioners collect their pension there. Family’s collect children’s allowance there. Pats Centra supports all local charities. Try telling the local people they’ll get by all you want. You’re missing the bigger picture
@Sequoia: what planet are you on. The shop has been the heart of Bettystown for more than 30 years. Have you ever in been in Bettystown no spar never has been.
Terrible loss but surely no need for a fundraiser as rebuild and loss of earnings will be covered by insurance?
@Sequoia can I ask where’s the large spar is as only shops in that area is mr price and other small shops cafes ice cream no Spar ? , Tesco Aldi don’t count here local people support small business and Pats was that . Its sad to see what happened and to the families of Pats and Macaris you will come back stronger as your part of a strong community that will rally around you in your time of need .
@Ciarán Byrne:
Standing with your back to Pats, walk left down the road, it’s about 150m on the right hand side.
@Sequoia: obviously haven’t been in bettystown recently
@Sequoia: are you from 2010?
@Sequoia: that was a SuperValu that was destroyed in an apartment fire years ago. Now it’s Mr. Price. Never had a spar here in over 20 years. Post office moving to laytown (3km down the road). If you don’t know the area and are only looking at Google Street view for your info, respectfully, shut up.
@Oisín Dunne: never had a spar full stop.
It’s a great well stocked local shop.
€10k will fix that? I doubt it.
have your say