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Junkies on O'Connell St and sorrounding area *READ MOD NOTE POST #1 AND #11*

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  • 13-05-2014 5:44pm
    #1
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭


    Been a while since we had one of these threads.

    Funny thing is i've noticed a big decline in the numbers of alcos,tablet-monsters and yack bags hanging round the city centre of late.


    I was on the bus earwigging a couple of them talking and apparantly the gardai have undercover officers all over the area and it's not worth thier while plying thier trade there anymore.

    I wonder if this is true and where they've all moved to..
    ***MOD NOTE***

    Nothing good ever comes of these threads. Be warned, this thread will be monitored closely, the first sign of trouble and it will be closed and infractions and bans will be handed out appropriately. Consider this the first and final warning to everyone.


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    #2
    porsche959
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,499 ✭✭✭porsche959


    chopper6 wrote: »
    Been a while since we had one of these threads.

    Funny thing is i've noticed a big decline in the numbers of alcos,tablet-monsters and yack bags hanging round the city centre of late.

    I was on the bus earwigging a couple of them talking and apparantly the gardai have undercover officers all over the area and it's not worth thier while plying thier trade there anymore.

    Glad to hear it if true.
    chopper6 wrote: »
    I wonder if this is true and where they've all moved to..

    Various 'sink' estates I'd guess.


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    #3
    smellmepower
    Closed Accounts Posts: 829 ✭✭✭smellmepower


    They'll just wait until the Garda presence inevitably dies down and then they'll return.Policing alone has not,and will not ever solve the problem.


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    #4
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,385 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    porsche959 wrote: »
    Glad to hear it if true.



    Various 'sink' estates I'd guess.

    What's a 'sink' estate ?


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    #5
    Boldberry
    Registered Users Posts: 71 ✭✭Boldberry


    It is true, I saw a bunch of them scatter like a flock of pigeons last week.


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    #6
    Realtine
    Registered Users Posts: 391 ✭✭Realtine


    OP - haven't got time to comment but google "operation Spire"


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    #7
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭chopper6


    Realtine wrote: »
    OP - haven't got time to comment but google "operation Spire"


    Ah yes...
    Gardaí have seized thousands of euros worth of drugs as part of an ongoing operation tackling dealing around O’Connell Street in Dublin city. Operation Spire is run from Store Street Garda station and is aimed at reducing the amount of drug activity on the capital’s main thoroughfare.
    Latest statistics between the end of January and mid-March show that about €15,800 worth of various drugs have been confiscated. This includes almost €9,000 worth of heroin and over €4,000 worth of benzodiazepine, an anti-anxiety sedative drug. Smaller amounts of cannabis, cocaine and ketamine have also been seized as part of the operation as well as more than 8,000 non-controlled tablets, primarily Zopiclone and Zimovane.
    Gardaí said Operation Spire has led to three full court prosecutions with convictions in each case.
    Two of these were obstruction charges while one prosecution was brought under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
    There have been 227 incidents under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 54 obstruction offences and 111 behaviour warnings.
    “Operation Spire combines high visibility uniform patrols with dedicated covert plainclothes personnel working together with the main objective of targeting drug dealing and anti social behaviour on O’Connell Street,” it said.


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    #8
    clairek6
    Registered Users Posts: 655 ✭✭✭clairek6


    Seems to be plenty around late sunday evenings at the bus stop to dcu!


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    #9
    Garzard
    Registered Users Posts: 1,295 ✭✭✭Garzard


    Most evenings there's usually a group of 6 or 7 of them hanging outside the Londis on the corner of Ashton Quay and O'Connell Bridge, often hassling passers-by for change etc and they never seem to be moved.


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    #10
    hfallada
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,180 ✭✭✭hfallada


    The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.


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    #11
    January
    Closed Accounts Posts: 23,862 ✭✭✭✭January


    Nothing good ever comes of these threads. Be warned, this thread will be monitored closely, the first sign of trouble and it will be closed and infractions and bans will be handed out appropriately. Consider this the first and final warning to everyone.


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    #12
    Howjoe1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,666 ✭✭✭Howjoe1


    hfallada wrote: »
    The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.


    Maybe that's why they've all moved over beside Bono's gaff!


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    #13
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭chopper6


    Seems to be masses of them on aston quay most evenings though...the laneway beside the old virgin megastore always seems to have a cop car parked at the mouth of it.


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    #14
    Snake
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,844 ✭✭✭Snake


    hfallada wrote: »
    The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

    Will they travel for it though?


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    #15
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,385 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    hfallada wrote: »
    The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

    A lot of the support services for addicts are located in and close to the city centre not just their methadone clinics.Logistically moving these services may be almost impossible particularly if they are homeless addicts.

    There some clinics located in suburbs examples are GlenAbbey on the Belgard road are the two in Finglas ,Wellmount and Tolka Valley ?.


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    #16
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,385 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    GrayFox208 wrote: »
    Will they travel for it though?

    Well that's the question isn't it ? If your a homeless addict living in the ONO hostels using services in the city , why would you travel ?


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    #17
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭chopper6


    GrayFox208 wrote: »
    Will they travel for it though?


    Hell yes...they're early risers and will cross from one end of the city to the other on busses and luas...travel passes or forgeries thereof.

    I've seen bus inspectors on my route once in 4 years and they caught this girl who had been using a social welfare card instead of a pass...the inspector admonished her gently and allowed her to continue on her way as she said she had lost her pass and was travelling in to get a new one...she telephoned somebody soon after and warned them that inspectors were on the route.


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    #18
    gctest50
    Registered Users Posts: 9,605 ✭✭✭gctest50


    chopper6 wrote: »
    Hell yes...they're early risers and will cross from one end of the city to the other on busses and luas...travel passes or forgeries thereof.....

    The hostels throw them out fairly early don't they ?
    - so off to a shooting gallery or the street for the day ?


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    #19
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,385 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    gctest50 wrote: »
    The hostels throw them out fairly early don't they ?
    - so off to a shooting gallery or the street for the day ?

    Not all hostels ask them leave early.


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    #20
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭chopper6


    gctest50 wrote: »
    The hostels throw them out fairly early don't they ?
    - so off to a shooting gallery or the street for the day ?

    Yep they seem to be out by 9am in most areas but when they're strung out they wont be thinking of a nice lie-in anyway.


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    #21
    Steve012
    Registered Users Posts: 938 ✭✭✭Steve012


    There are lots out in Dun laoghaire,(which there has always been in DL but not the amount there is these days). I work a lot in town and feel sorry for them to be honest. I have spoken to a good few (my work is on shop fronts) passing by they stop and make a comment normally quite positive or funny, Im a big lad I've never gotten any hassle from them. Yes they can certainly be intimidating as they are normally in groups. I wouldn't feel comfortable if my girlfriend worked where they hangout.
    The back rounds most of them come from are pretty grim to say the least. It's one very tough problem to solve while the scum bag dealers are reducing the price of heroin to lure more in. From what I see the AGS are doing there best and treating them like normal folk without discriminating.

    Obviously dreadful for tourism, many occasions I have advised tourists (when been asked for directions) to take alternate routes when they get off the train at Talbot st, because of large groups of addicts near Graingers pub.

    Apologies for long reply, Social problem that won't go away.. One wonder's how in the name of Jaysus the heroin production has rocketed in Afghanistan,
    Since USA occupation ??? Boggles the mind really ?? under the Taliban it was falling every year.. Stats on Wiki.. I think over 90% of worlds Heroin comes from there now..

    my 3 cents


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    #22
    cson
    Registered Users Posts: 14,465 ✭✭✭✭cson


    Still as bad as ever around the junction of Talbot St & Amiens St.


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    #23
    porsche959
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,499 ✭✭✭porsche959


    corner of hells wrote: »
    What's a 'sink' estate ?

    Phrase isn't used much any more but...

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_estate


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    #24
    corner of hells
    Registered Users Posts: 8,385 ✭✭✭corner of hells


    chopper6 wrote: »
    Yep they seem to be out by 9am in most areas but when they're strung out they wont be thinking of a nice lie-in anyway.

    The service I work in has city centre hostels and do not ask ONO beds to be vacated by 9am .
    There's more than a few types of hostels in Dublin , providing different types of accommodation from Cold Weather beds , pilot scheme beds , six month beds and so on .
    Let's not generalise .
    I've for a couple of years in drug/homeless services as well as accommodation .

    Fire away with a few questions .


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    #25
    smellmepower
    Closed Accounts Posts: 829 ✭✭✭smellmepower


    hfallada wrote: »
    The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

    Most of the city centre area has had monitored Garda CCTV since the late 90's.

    Once the funding for this current Garda operation runs out it will business as usual because no effort has been made to address the variety of reasons addicts and rough sleepers gather in the area every day.

    All those Garda hours for three minor convictions and miniscule seizures of heroin and benzos is a fairly pathetic use of resources too.


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    #26
    chopper6
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 3,214 ✭✭✭chopper6


    Steve012 wrote: »
    One wonder's how in the name of Jaysus the heroin production has rocketed in Afghanistan,
    Since USA occupation ??? Boggles the mind really ?? under the Taliban it was falling every year.

    heroin isnt as widely available as it was several years ago.

    The majority of addicts are now using medicines like Blueys(Valium 10mg),Yellies(valium 5mg) and sleeping tablets like zimmovane and Dalmayne.

    The tolerance to these drugs that can build up is shocking and they can ingest quantities that would have been thought fatal a few years back.

    The drugs are being smuggled from Spain,bought online or being prescribed in huge numbers by disinterested GPs who will give junkies whatever they want to get them out of his surgery.

    Using benzos etc is not to say that they don't also use heroin or take methadone...they do this as well as everything else biut the tablets etc are easier to get and not as actionable than heroin if they're caught.


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    #27
    cunnifferous
    Registered Users Posts: 1,082 ✭✭✭cunnifferous


    Programme on TV3 now about someone working for the Simon community with junkies around Dublin


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    #28
    arybvtcw0eolkf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24,878 ✭✭✭✭arybvtcw0eolkf


    cunnifferous wrote: »
    Programme on TV3 now about someone working for the Simon community with junkies around Dublin

    Before anyone looks down their noses at junkies I'd dare them to watch this series of videos interviewing junkies on the streets of Dublin.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzJjDYdELbs


    Junkies 'The Walking Dead' really don't bother me, and I work the door of a rock bar on Aston Quay so I'm not unfamiliar with them.

    I don't agree with the OP that there are less around, maybe on O'Connell St but certainly not on the quays, the alley ways and side street off Templebar.

    Why don't they bother me?.. Because the vast, vast majority are too weak from their sickness to be trouble to most people, although they're an unsightly blight on our streets and its rare a weekend doesn't pass that a number of tourists will mention the sheer number of junkies on the quays and surrounding area's.


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    #29
    Aard
    Registered Users Posts: 4,905 ✭✭✭Aard


    cson wrote: »
    Still as bad as ever around the junction of Talbot St & Amiens St.

    Very unfortunate, as Talbot Street should really be the gateway to the city centre from Connolly. I wonder how many people get the Luas from Connolly to Abbey St just because they feel unsafe. It could be an inviting walk of shops and restaurants, a kind of Camden St of the Northside.


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    #30
    KungPao
    Registered Users Posts: 4,783 ✭✭✭KungPao


    Aard wrote: »
    Very unfortunate, as Talbot Street should really be the gateway to the city centre from Connolly. I wonder how many people get the Luas from Connolly to Abbey St just because they feel unsafe. It could be an inviting walk of shops and restaurants, a kind of Camden St of the Northside.

    It is a shame...I quite like Talbot street for its funky shops and stuff. This street leads directly to the Spire but can be dodge as hell. Really shouldn't be like that.

    Funny enough, regarding the main subject of the thread, last week I saw a usual zombie around Grafton street...doing the "Could ye spaare a your-o blah blah", but then I saw him look around and sense danger like a gazelle on an African savannah who had just detected a hungry Lion and leg it. Looking very worried so he was. I saw him again 10 minutes later further on and he was still ill at ease and looking over his shoulder.

    Hopefully the boys in blue are driving these bowsies out of the city centre!


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    #31
    Hannibal
    Registered Users Posts: 1,815 ✭✭✭Hannibal


    cson wrote: »
    Still as bad as ever around the junction of Talbot St & Amiens St.
    I'd add North Earl St to that, the corner of that on O'Connell St is beyind shocking, was walking from Marlborough St towards O'Connell St yesterday around lunchtime and 5 seperate people offered me Zimos and the like but the amount of junkies just roaming around was unreal. I've been to a lot of major cities and I have never seen that around of junkies and heroin addicts concentrated on the main thoroughfare.
    Wolfe Tone Park is another spot full of them. It has the potential to be a perfect relaxing area but instead is littered with junkies. Dublin is a great city but it's unfortunate that this is allowed to go on


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