GARDAÍ IN DUBLIN made over 500 arrests in the last week, as well as 689 searches.

Around 500 searches were carried out under the Drugs Act, with 89 arrests relating to drug trafficking.

The Journal understands that daily and weekly reviews are being conducted of areas that are ‘prone to anti-social behaviour’, under a new action plan agreed between the government and the Garda Commissioner.

The findings of each review will inform future operational plans to tackle crime in the capital.

In a meeting last week, the Taoiseach, the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner also decided to deploy the Garda Air Support Unit and the Garda Mounted Unit to Dublin City Centre to enhance Garda visibility there.

Other national resources such as the Garda Dog Unit and Roads Policing Unit may be used as well. 

Between Friday, 28 July and Thursday, 3 August, Gardaí in the Dublin Metropolitan Region were on 1,538 patrols, of which 154 were part of Operation Saul, patrols on and around public transport.

There was also 196 road safety checkpoints in the region.

Alongside this activity, Gardaí attended nine protests in the last week, as well as sporting events.

“This amount and variety of operational activity in one week across the Dublin region shows the dedication of Gardaí to actively work in communities to keep people safe,” said Assistant Commissioner, DMR, Angela Willis.

“It reflects the work that is undertaken every week by Gardaí in Dublin. In the last week alone, this has seen significant amounts of drugs taken off the streets, lives protected on our roads, and enabled people and communities to enjoy a variety of events safely,”

Gardaí responded to three separate robberies at premises in Cherry Orchard, on the Ballyfermot Road and on Talbot Street between 29 and 30 July. Three men were arrested for these separate incidents, all of whom have been charged and have appeared before the courts.

On 2 August at Parnell Street, a male on an eBike was found in possession of cannabis herb and resin, Cocaine, MDMA and LSD. The combined valued is almost €17,660. The man has since been charged.

On the same day, Gardaí responded to a burglary call in Dublin 8, in which a man was disturbed and had fled from the house. This man was later located. He was arrested and charged.

On 3 August, members of the Ballymun Drugs Unit were on Operation Tara patrol when they observed a male run from a car and into an apartment block. The car remained parked outside. The Ballymun Drugs Unit stopped and searched the man upon exiting the apartment block.

He was found in possession of MDMA powder, valued at €61,200, a number of ecstasy tablets and a small amount of Alprozolam. He was arrested and brought before the courts where he was remanded in custody.

In the past month, the north inner city has been in the national spotlight for all the wrong reasons, but those living in greener pastures know little about the reality for some of the most underprivileged people in the area, youth workers say.

They told The Journal that the pandemic removed safe spaces for disadvantaged young people and bridging the gap left between supports and communities remains a challenge.

The fear is that years of hard work in the community has been ‘wiped out’ by the pandemic.

Patrick Gates, a coordinater with Young People at Risk, said that people working in the sector are seeing children, particularly between the ages of nine and 14, harbouring “anger and rage” unlike anything seen before the pandemic.

However, addiction, intergenerational trauma, poverty and violence have long been problems in the inner city and efforts to change things have been largely unsuccessful.