Dublin North East Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Councillor Larry O'Toole at relaunch of Dial to Stop Drug dealing.

Published: 13 August, 2010

Cllr Larry O'Toole at the relaunch of Dial to Stop Drug Dealing.

Cllr Larry O'Toole at the relaunch of Dial to Stop Drug Dealing.

Speaking at the relaunch of the Dial to Stop Drug dealing initiative in Artane on August 13th last, Cllr Larry O'Toole called on the Minister to ensure that funding for the initiative is not threatened by ongoing cutbacks.

Praising the initiative for providing communities with a safe and secure means of reporting on drug dealing in their areas, he stated that it was of utmost importance to ensure that the scheme was protected from the threat of funding withdrawal. Larry praised the staff involved and particularly those locals who had availed of the service and reported drug dealing in the area.

Councillor O'Toole, who was acting as Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin today, said:

"The Dial to Stop Drug Dealing free phone line is a highly successful non Garda phone number that people can ring anonymously to report drug dealing in their community. The phone operators are not Gardaí and the caller's details will not be passed on to the Gardaí.

"While the project has been highly successful the Government has yet to secure permanent funding to secure its operation into the future or to promote it in a meaningful way. This must become a priority for the Justice Minister. The project is not expensive to run while its contribution to the fight against drug crime is invaluable.

"I am calling on people who witness drug dealing in the Dublin North East area to call the Dial to Stop Drug Dealing phone line on 1800 220 220 and reports what they have seen.

"Dublin North East has seen its fair share of the drugs crisis and this is a valuable tool to enable the community to play a part in fighting back."