This report was commissioned by Dublin City Council following a request by the Lord Mayor at the time, Paul McAuliffe. The Council asked for practical and achievable recommendations regarding a number of significant concerns about drugs and criminality raised by the local community and local agencies in recent years.

The main issues identified were:

• The surge in the supply and consumption of crack cocaine in the area;
• The number of young people drawn into criminality and antisocial behaviour;
• Open drugs markets selling to local people, and to people from outside the area;
• The lack of adequate policing resources to deal with the serious problems in the area.

There is a concern that a new report into the impacts of drugs on the community of Ballymun, could damage the reputation of the community. But the issues are serious and need to be understood and addressed.