Home > A better city for all. A partnership approach to address public substance misuse and perceived anti-social behaviour in Dublin city centre.

Strategic Response Group. (2012) A better city for all. A partnership approach to address public substance misuse and perceived anti-social behaviour in Dublin city centre. Dublin: Strategic Response Group.

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The Strategic Response Group (SRG)is a partnership set up to address public substance misuse and perceived anti-social behaviour in Dublin city centre. This report - Report of the Strategic Response Group to build sustainable street-level drug services and address related public nuisance - acknowledges that for historical reasons there is a clustering of drug treatment and homelessness services in or adjacent to the inner city. While these services play a major role in the provision of effective treatment to problematic drug users, the report recommends that there should be greater access to prompt provision of treatment options nationally and that people should be treated and accommodated in the most appropriate setting for their circumstances and provided with support services as close to their home as possible.

The report takes a holistic approach to address the issues of the city centre. The group have set out their recommendations in the short, media and long term and under the headings of treatment, rehabilitation, homelessness, policing responses, planning and urban design, legislation and regulation and implementation.

Key recommendations of the report include:

  • There should be greater access to and prompt provision of treatment options nationally. People should be treated and provided with support services as close to their home as possible. The treatment provided should be of the level of complexity required to meet their needs. This should ensure that people are only using services that are essential and appropriate to meet their needs and that are local to their place of residence. This should involve a relocation of service provision for some people from the city centre area where possible.
  • Gardaí need to be given powers to deal with street dealing of prescription drugs so as to initiate prosecutions. The SRG supports the current proposals by Roisin Shortall TD, Minister of State with special responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, to update the Misuse of Drugs legislation in relation to Benzodiazepines. Provisions should also be made for the scheduling of Z-Hypnotics (Zimmovane).
  • Emergency accommodation should only ever be used in an ‘emergency’. This is often not the case, due to a lack of suitable long-term housing options people often spend long periods in emergency accommodation. Private B&B’s are a form of emergency provision which are often not fit for purpose and are without regulatory provision.
  • To discourage street-drinking, to reduce harm and to offer safer alternatives, accommodation models should be provided where people who wish to consume alcohol can do so in their accommodation under regulated conditions.
  • Enhanced public lighting is required to increase public perceptions of safety in particular locations & in general street planning to predict potential use of public spaces.
  • There is a need to strengthen the links between existing Local Drug Task Forces, particularly in the City Centre area (North Inner City, South Inner City). There is a need to explore a cross North Inner City Local Drugs Task Force and South Inner City Local Drugs Force Partnership Group with a specific focus on implementing the recommendations within this report at a local level.
  • There is a need to make community-based residential crisis stabilisation/ detoxification unit(s) available. These should target people with problematic poly-substance use (including alcohol) and multiple needs i.e. public injectors, people with mental health issues and people who are homeless.

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