Confidential drugs hotline to shut down despite success.

Dial to Stop Drug Dealing was based on a successful pilot phone-lines set up by communities in Blanchardstown and Dublin’s north inner city.

Following the success of these programmes, the Government agreed to proposals by the National Drugs Strategy Team to set up a national system.

Since it was officially launched in September last year there were in excess of 2,600 calls to the phone line which generated over 700 information reports to the gardaí.

Labour’s spokesperson on Europe and Human Rights Joe Costello said the figures revealed how popular it was given the gardaí’s own confidential line only took 3,500 calls in the course of the year, although it has been in place since 1992.

"People cannot go to the Garda station because they cannot be seen doing so, particularly addicts who owe money and are under great pressure from drug dealers, and their families," he said.

"However, Dial to Stop Drug Dealing, which is an absolutely confidential telephone line, was established last September and has produced great results," he said.

"The cost of the scheme is minimal, and it is being rolled out in its third phase at present. The entire project, which has proven successful and been of great benefit in disadvantaged communities where people cannot go to the Garda directly, is now to be closed down.

Mr Costello said it was an example of a successful project being knocked on the head. "How much would it cost to keep that call centre open per month? Only e1,500. I am making a plea that this useful weapon in the fight against drugs in disadvantaged areas not be terminated because of a paltry sum of money, but that it be maintained in operation as part of an ongoing, mainstream approach to dealing with serious drug crime."

The Minister of State with responsibility for drugs John Curran said the line would remain open until "approximately September".

"In regards to future funding, it must be noted that from the outset the Dial to Stop Drug Dealing Campaign was to run over a discrete period of time. This was based on the findings from the initial pilot project in Blanchardstown which found that the vast majority of calls were received early in the campaign following its launch," he said.

"It is also open to task forces to allocate funding from their existing budget to support further campaigns in their local areas if they so wish."

Source: Jennifer Hough, The Irish Examiner, 08/06/2009