DALE DEALERS ARE BUSTED!
GARDAI TARGET DRUG ISSUE IN BEAUTY SPOT
GARDA chiefs have vowed to tackle drug dealing at the historic Dale with one arrest last week for possession of heroin.
‘We received a number of complaints from residents and we have acted on those concerns’, Supt Andrew Watters stated.
The area has become a known meeting spot for drug dealing, but it is now under surveillance in a bid to ‘disrupt’ those engaged in anti-social behaviour.
‘We have increased the number of checkpoints on the Marsh Road in the vicinity of the entrance to the Dale and those have proved succesful.
‘ This is a quiet and lovely area and we intend to tackle issues like this on an ongoing basis.’
There are also patrols taking place as part of the operation.
‘ The message is getting out there and that’s what we want’, the superintendent added.
GARDAI are pushing to get additional resources into tackling issues at a number of locations around Drogheda, including The Dale and a gap at the rear of the Castlemanor estate on the Ballymakenny Road.
Speaking at last week’s Joint Policing Committee meeting in Millmount, Supt Andrew Watters said there were places that needed attention and matters had ‘not been resolved’ but gardai were working on them.
‘Maybe there is a need for additional CCTV in these areas,’ he remarked.
He said the Dale was a ‘ lovely, quiet place’ but there was a problem with drugs. Recently, gardai had stopped a car and seized €300 worth of heroin.
He said it was a plus to get a result like that.
‘ There are operations ongoing to deal with these problems,’ he continued.
The area at the rear of Castlemanor had become an escape route for individuals and this was also on the gardai’s radar.
From mid July, he said Operation Thor - which can facilitate investigations into road traffic offences, burglaries and antibehaviour - would be employed in certain areas, with checkpoints being increased.
Meanwhile, figures released at last week’s meeting stated that detections for sale or supply of drugs, up to July - and in comparison to the same period last year - had increased by 166%. There were 16 detections this year, compared to six last year. Detections for simple possession had come down from 77 to 65.
It was also revealed the number of car thefts had also reduced by 52%, from 27 last year to 13 this year.
Burglaries had remained pretty constant with 161 reported last year and 160 this year.
Theft of property had also risen, up to 81, compared to 68 last year to this period.
Supt Watters mentioned that there had been a number of thefts of bicycles.