Irish politicians get dumber

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/council-bids-to-stamp-out-dangling-drug-runners-1325948.html


Council bids to stamp out dangling 'drug runners'


By Andrew Bushe
Monday March 24 2008

Dublin City Council is trying to eradicate the blight of runners and football boots dangling from overhead lines.

A councillor claims they are being used as "advertisements" by drug dealers to mark their turf.

Sinn Fein representative Ray McHugh raised the issue at a recent meeting of the South Central Area Committee asking if it was the policy of the council to remove the dangling footwear "to prevent the advertisement of drugs for sale in the Dublin 12 area".

Cllr McHugh said that as he understood it people who stand around under the dangling footwear will be approached.

"If you are standing around near them they will know that you want to buy."

The council said that an electrical contractor was hired last year to remove all runners and football boots from overhead power and telephone lines in an adjoining area of the city.

Expense

"This action was undertaken on a pilot basis at considerable expense," according to Declan Ronan, housing manager for the Crumlin area.

"The results were closely monitored and, disappointingly, the runners/football boots were replaced in a matter of days in most cases."

But a garda spokesperson said last night that they are not aware of this being a widespread issue.

She added that all areas are patrolled, adding that due attention was given to every occurrence.

Mr Ronan now plans to approach residents associations in order "to explore joint alternative initiatives to tackle this community issue".

Cllr McHugh said drug dealers were using the suspended boots and runners to advertise their presence in all of the areas he represents -- Drimnagh, Crumlin, Walkinstown and Kimmage,

"It is something that is throughout Dublin now, it is widespread. Everywhere you go you will see it. I don't know where the idea originally came from.

"It is normally runners that they use and they are normally fairly new runners for some reason. It looks as if they go out and buy them and throw them up there.

Cllr McHugh said it would be very difficult to stamp out the footgear adverts.

"In fairness to the council they said it would take a full-time crew to be out there. The crew would only have left one area and they [the drug dealers] would be back with another load of runners."

- Andrew Bushe


http://www.snopes.com/crime/gangs/sneakers.asp


This reminds me of the victims of Chris Morris and his 'cake' and Paedophile scams.