HIGH USE OF HEROIN FOUND IN CITY AREA

One in every 26 people living in the Ballyfermot area of west Dublin was
using heroin early last year, according to research by the Ballyfermot
Drugs Task Force.

The task force chairman, Mr David Connolly, said the figure was based on
statistics from the Gardai the Eastern Health Board and community groups.

There were approximately 1,000 heroin-users during research in March and
April last year, out of a population of 26,000 people. The Ballyfermot area
is described by the task force as between Cherry Orchard Hospital and
Sarsfield Road, and extending between Cloverhill and Lough Conn Road.

Almost £1 million has been allocated to the task force for projects in the
area. Last night the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, congratulated the group for
drawing up the plan and said it would have to show results. "We endorse the
view that social exclusion is the underlying cause that must be tackled,"
he said.

Insp Frank Timoney, who is on the task force, said its objective was to
help local people to tackle the problem with professionals. "The input of
the community is vital to the plan.".

Official figures for drug-related arrests in the area were 3,900 last year,
according to Mr Connolly. However, it is believed that gardai were
arresting more than 500 people a week in the area, at the height of
Operation Dochas. A senior Garda source said 80 per cent of those arrested
were carrying drugs or large amounts of money.

One local woman said she accepted the figure of one person in 26 using
heroin, but it was less visible than last year. The area had been targeted
by drug-users, the woman said. "They were dumping on us, not just from
Dublin, from all over the country." However, things had improved with
Operation Dochas and a community Garda scheme.