Junkies on O'Connell St and sorrounding area *READ MOD NOTE POST #1 AND #11*

chopper6

Been a while since we had one of these threads.

Funny thing is i've noticed a big decline in the numbers of alcos,tablet-monsters and yack bags hanging round the city centre of late.


I was on the bus earwigging a couple of them talking and apparantly the gardai have undercover officers all over the area and it's not worth thier while plying thier trade there anymore.

I wonder if this is true and where they've all moved to..

***MOD NOTE***

Nothing good ever comes of these threads. Be warned, this thread will be monitored closely, the first sign of trouble and it will be closed and infractions and bans will be handed out appropriately. Consider this the first and final warning to everyone.

porsche959

chopper6 wrote: »

Been a while since we had one of these threads.

Funny thing is i've noticed a big decline in the numbers of alcos,tablet-monsters and yack bags hanging round the city centre of late.

I was on the bus earwigging a couple of them talking and apparantly the gardai have undercover officers all over the area and it's not worth thier while plying thier trade there anymore.

Glad to hear it if true.

chopper6 wrote: »

I wonder if this is true and where they've all moved to..

Various 'sink' estates I'd guess.

smellmepower

They'll just wait until the Garda presence inevitably dies down and then they'll return.Policing alone has not,and will not ever solve the problem.

corner of hells

porsche959 wrote: »

Glad to hear it if true.



Various 'sink' estates I'd guess.

What's a 'sink' estate ?

Boldberry

It is true, I saw a bunch of them scatter like a flock of pigeons last week.

Realtine

OP - haven't got time to comment but google "operation Spire"

chopper6

Realtine wrote: »

OP - haven't got time to comment but google "operation Spire"

Ah yes...

Gardaí have seized thousands of euros worth of drugs as part of an ongoing operation tackling dealing around O’Connell Street in Dublin city. Operation Spire is run from Store Street Garda station and is aimed at reducing the amount of drug activity on the capital’s main thoroughfare.
Latest statistics between the end of January and mid-March show that about €15,800 worth of various drugs have been confiscated. This includes almost €9,000 worth of heroin and over €4,000 worth of benzodiazepine, an anti-anxiety sedative drug. Smaller amounts of cannabis, cocaine and ketamine have also been seized as part of the operation as well as more than 8,000 non-controlled tablets, primarily Zopiclone and Zimovane.
Gardaí said Operation Spire has led to three full court prosecutions with convictions in each case.
Two of these were obstruction charges while one prosecution was brought under the Misuse of Drugs Act.
There have been 227 incidents under the Misuse of Drugs Act, 54 obstruction offences and 111 behaviour warnings.
“Operation Spire combines high visibility uniform patrols with dedicated covert plainclothes personnel working together with the main objective of targeting drug dealing and anti social behaviour on O’Connell Street,” it said.

clairek6

Seems to be plenty around late sunday evenings at the bus stop to dcu!

Garzard

Most evenings there's usually a group of 6 or 7 of them hanging outside the Londis on the corner of Ashton Quay and O'Connell Bridge, often hassling passers-by for change etc and they never seem to be moved.

hfallada

The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

January

Nothing good ever comes of these threads. Be warned, this thread will be monitored closely, the first sign of trouble and it will be closed and infractions and bans will be handed out appropriately. Consider this the first and final warning to everyone.

Howjoe1

hfallada wrote: »

The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

Maybe that's why they've all moved over beside Bono's gaff!

chopper6

Seems to be masses of them on aston quay most evenings though...the laneway beside the old virgin megastore always seems to have a cop car parked at the mouth of it.

Snake

hfallada wrote: »

The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

Will they travel for it though?

corner of hells

hfallada wrote: »

The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

A lot of the support services for addicts are located in and close to the city centre not just their methadone clinics.Logistically moving these services may be almost impossible particularly if they are homeless addicts.

There some clinics located in suburbs examples are GlenAbbey on the Belgard road are the two in Finglas ,Wellmount and Tolka Valley ?.

corner of hells

GrayFox208 wrote: »

Will they travel for it though?

Well that's the question isn't it ? If your a homeless addict living in the ONO hostels using services in the city , why would you travel ?

chopper6

GrayFox208 wrote: »

Will they travel for it though?

Hell yes...they're early risers and will cross from one end of the city to the other on busses and luas...travel passes or forgeries thereof.

I've seen bus inspectors on my route once in 4 years and they caught this girl who had been using a social welfare card instead of a pass...the inspector admonished her gently and allowed her to continue on her way as she said she had lost her pass and was travelling in to get a new one...she telephoned somebody soon after and warned them that inspectors were on the route.

gctest50

chopper6 wrote: »

Hell yes...they're early risers and will cross from one end of the city to the other on busses and luas...travel passes or forgeries thereof.....

The hostels throw them out fairly early don't they ?
- so off to a shooting gallery or the street for the day ?

corner of hells

gctest50 wrote: »

The hostels throw them out fairly early don't they ?
- so off to a shooting gallery or the street for the day ?

Not all hostels ask them leave early.

chopper6

gctest50 wrote: »

The hostels throw them out fairly early don't they ?
- so off to a shooting gallery or the street for the day ?

Yep they seem to be out by 9am in most areas but when they're strung out they wont be thinking of a nice lie-in anyway.

Steve012

There are lots out in Dun laoghaire,(which there has always been in DL but not the amount there is these days). I work a lot in town and feel sorry for them to be honest. I have spoken to a good few (my work is on shop fronts) passing by they stop and make a comment normally quite positive or funny, Im a big lad I've never gotten any hassle from them. Yes they can certainly be intimidating as they are normally in groups. I wouldn't feel comfortable if my girlfriend worked where they hangout.
The back rounds most of them come from are pretty grim to say the least. It's one very tough problem to solve while the scum bag dealers are reducing the price of heroin to lure more in. From what I see the AGS are doing there best and treating them like normal folk without discriminating.

Obviously dreadful for tourism, many occasions I have advised tourists (when been asked for directions) to take alternate routes when they get off the train at Talbot st, because of large groups of addicts near Graingers pub.

Apologies for long reply, Social problem that won't go away.. One wonder's how in the name of Jaysus the heroin production has rocketed in Afghanistan,
Since USA occupation ??? Boggles the mind really ?? under the Taliban it was falling every year.. Stats on Wiki.. I think over 90% of worlds Heroin comes from there now..

my 3 cents

cson

Still as bad as ever around the junction of Talbot St & Amiens St.

porsche959

corner of hells wrote: »

What's a 'sink' estate ?

Phrase isn't used much any more but...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sink_estate

corner of hells

chopper6 wrote: »

Yep they seem to be out by 9am in most areas but when they're strung out they wont be thinking of a nice lie-in anyway.

The service I work in has city centre hostels and do not ask ONO beds to be vacated by 9am .
There's more than a few types of hostels in Dublin , providing different types of accommodation from Cold Weather beds , pilot scheme beds , six month beds and so on .
Let's not generalise .
I've for a couple of years in drug/homeless services as well as accommodation .

Fire away with a few questions .

smellmepower

hfallada wrote: »

The whole area is under CCTV now and you can see the cameras. And its constantly monitored. There is a lot more Gardai on O Connell Street and especially around O Connell Bridge near Westmoreland Street. But the fact a majority of Methadone is given out in town doesnt help. Addicts need methadone, but do they really need to get it in town, instead of the suburbs.

Most of the city centre area has had monitored Garda CCTV since the late 90's.

Once the funding for this current Garda operation runs out it will business as usual because no effort has been made to address the variety of reasons addicts and rough sleepers gather in the area every day.

All those Garda hours for three minor convictions and miniscule seizures of heroin and benzos is a fairly pathetic use of resources too.

chopper6

Steve012 wrote: »

One wonder's how in the name of Jaysus the heroin production has rocketed in Afghanistan,
Since USA occupation ??? Boggles the mind really ?? under the Taliban it was falling every year.

heroin isnt as widely available as it was several years ago.

The majority of addicts are now using medicines like Blueys(Valium 10mg),Yellies(valium 5mg) and sleeping tablets like zimmovane and Dalmayne.

The tolerance to these drugs that can build up is shocking and they can ingest quantities that would have been thought fatal a few years back.

The drugs are being smuggled from Spain,bought online or being prescribed in huge numbers by disinterested GPs who will give junkies whatever they want to get them out of his surgery.

Using benzos etc is not to say that they don't also use heroin or take methadone...they do this as well as everything else biut the tablets etc are easier to get and not as actionable than heroin if they're caught.

cunnifferous

Programme on TV3 now about someone working for the Simon community with junkies around Dublin

arybvtcw0eolkf

cunnifferous wrote: »

Programme on TV3 now about someone working for the Simon community with junkies around Dublin

Before anyone looks down their noses at junkies I'd dare them to watch this series of videos interviewing junkies on the streets of Dublin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzJjDYdELbs

Junkies 'The Walking Dead' really don't bother me, and I work the door of a rock bar on Aston Quay so I'm not unfamiliar with them.

I don't agree with the OP that there are less around, maybe on O'Connell St but certainly not on the quays, the alley ways and side street off Templebar.

Why don't they bother me?.. Because the vast, vast majority are too weak from their sickness to be trouble to most people, although they're an unsightly blight on our streets and its rare a weekend doesn't pass that a number of tourists will mention the sheer number of junkies on the quays and surrounding area's.

Aard

cson wrote: »

Still as bad as ever around the junction of Talbot St & Amiens St.

Very unfortunate, as Talbot Street should really be the gateway to the city centre from Connolly. I wonder how many people get the Luas from Connolly to Abbey St just because they feel unsafe. It could be an inviting walk of shops and restaurants, a kind of Camden St of the Northside.

KungPao

Aard wrote: »

Very unfortunate, as Talbot Street should really be the gateway to the city centre from Connolly. I wonder how many people get the Luas from Connolly to Abbey St just because they feel unsafe. It could be an inviting walk of shops and restaurants, a kind of Camden St of the Northside.

It is a shame...I quite like Talbot street for its funky shops and stuff. This street leads directly to the Spire but can be dodge as hell. Really shouldn't be like that.

Funny enough, regarding the main subject of the thread, last week I saw a usual zombie around Grafton street...doing the "Could ye spaare a your-o blah blah", but then I saw him look around and sense danger like a gazelle on an African savannah who had just detected a hungry Lion and leg it. Looking very worried so he was. I saw him again 10 minutes later further on and he was still ill at ease and looking over his shoulder.

Hopefully the boys in blue are driving these bowsies out of the city centre!

Hannibal

cson wrote: »

Still as bad as ever around the junction of Talbot St & Amiens St.

I'd add North Earl St to that, the corner of that on O'Connell St is beyind shocking, was walking from Marlborough St towards O'Connell St yesterday around lunchtime and 5 seperate people offered me Zimos and the like but the amount of junkies just roaming around was unreal. I've been to a lot of major cities and I have never seen that around of junkies and heroin addicts concentrated on the main thoroughfare.
Wolfe Tone Park is another spot full of them. It has the potential to be a perfect relaxing area but instead is littered with junkies. Dublin is a great city but it's unfortunate that this is allowed to go on

j.mcdrmd

corner of hells wrote: »

Fire away with a few questions .

chopper6 wrote: »

The drugs are being smuggled from Spain,bought online or being prescribed in huge numbers by disinterested GPs who will give junkies whatever they want to get them out of his surgery.

I have questions.

If huge numbers of drugs are being prescribed by disinterested GPs would that not be very easy to track down?

Would the pharmacys dispensing the drugs not notice a pattern?

j.mcdrmd

j.mcdrmd wrote: »

I have questions.

If huge numbers of drugs are being prescribed by disinterested GPs would that not be very easy to track down?

Would the pharmacys dispensing the drugs not notice a pattern?

I'm not in Dublin but I know where I could get sleeping tablets, sedatives, viagra or just about anything within a 2 minute walk of my house. It ain't street dealers passing them along.

VEN

Nixon Huge Stingray wrote: »

and I work the door of a rock bar on Aston Quay so I'm not unfamiliar with them.

yea i think we all know that by now

Nixon Huge Stingray wrote: »

Why don't they bother me?.. Because the vast, vast majority are too weak from their sickness to be trouble to most people

you mean to be of trouble to yourself. most elderly people and women are scared of them out of fear of theft, blades, syringe attacks etc for not giving them money, they're not all capable to take men down in the heat of the night lol

j.mcdrmd

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm not in Dublin but I know where I could get sleeping tablets, sedatives, viagra or just about anything within a 2 minute walk of my house. It ain't street dealers passing them along.

Prescribed by a disinterested GP for your use though?

Or do you mean prescribed by a disinterested GP for others use and they are selling them on?

italodisco

Drumcondra lower , around apache pizza / perki chick take away.

From 4 pm up til about 9pm there's a group of Russian /Moldovan lads that meet up with Irish junkies and openly deal pills etc.... Then around 8/9pm an Irish man shows up on a bicycle , sometimes with a kid and passes them what appears to be their supply .

They alternate this , few weeks in Drumcondra lower, few up around phibsboro shopping center, also around midnight express take away Dorset street.

If I can see this without going out of my way to see it then I'm pretty sure the gardai are only too aware.

Just not arsed to do anything about.

Is it wrong of me to think a vigilante approach is what we need ??

I'd be more than happy to join a mob and cause awful injuries to these dirtbags .

Is it wrong of me to think that

arybvtcw0eolkf

VEN wrote: »

yea i think we all know that by now



you mean to be of trouble to yourself. most elderly people and women are scared of them out of fear of theft, blades, syringe attacks etc for not giving them money, they're not all capable to take men down in the heat of the night lol

"lol"?.

The vast majority of attacks on people in the city center are carried out by drunks & opportunist scumbags, and people can minimize attacks further by being responsible and aware of their surroundings.

By the "dead of night" as you call it my trouble comes from drunks and not junkies.. I'd rarely see a junkie after dark tbh, most have scored for the day and are away home or shelters goofing off for the night.

I never felt that unsafe from the junkies heading to and from Connolly late at night, there are other breeds of scumbag around there that scare me more, a lot of them teenagers just out looking for a bit of trouble. I would never consider taking the Luas because I felt unsafe. I just keep my head down and keep marching where I am going and ignore everyone around me, especially if they're yelling at me. I find walking very quickly helps.

I think it's true that the junkies tend to go underground after about midnight anyway, if you speak to any of them or even watch that video posted earlier, they don't feel safe out at night either. It's the other breed f scumbag that give the most hassle. And no, before you ask, I can't define them.

chopper6

Nixon Huge Stingray wrote: »

Before anyone looks down their noses at junkies I'd dare them to watch this series of videos interviewing junkies on the streets of Dublin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzJjDYdELbs

yeah...very revealing...a bloke calling himself "Irish mortage brokers" asking junkies what do they think of the banking crisis...and using 30 year old terminology to try and sound cool.

<snip>

tricky D

Hannibal wrote: »

I'd add North Earl St to that, the corner of that on O'Connell St is beyind shocking, was walking from Marlborough St towards O'Connell St yesterday around lunchtime and 5 seperate people offered me Zimos and the like but the amount of junkies just roaming around was unreal.

On the flip side, I was in that area last week, back and forth over about 2 hours and saw a sum total of zero junkies. Same the time before.

italodisco wrote: »

Is it wrong of me to think a vigilante approach is what we need ??

I'd be more than happy to join a mob and cause awful injuries to these dirtbags .

Is it wrong of me to think that

Mod note: careful now, any thing close to advocating violence will get you a swift sanction.

bumper234

italodisco wrote: »

Drumcondra lower , around apache pizza / perki chick take away.

From 4 pm up til about 9pm there's a group of Russian /Moldovan lads that meet up with Irish junkies and openly deal pills etc.... Then around 8/9pm an Irish man shows up on a bicycle , sometimes with a kid and passes them what appears to be their supply .

They alternate this , few weeks in Drumcondra lower, few up around phibsboro shopping center, also around midnight express take away Dorset street.

If I can see this without going out of my way to see it then I'm pretty sure the gardai are only too aware.

Just not arsed to do anything about.

Is it wrong of me to think a vigilante approach is what we need ??

I'd be more than happy to join a mob and cause awful injuries to these dirtbags .

Is it wrong of me to think that

Who decides in this little gang of yours exactly who is the "dirtbag" and who is just an innocent person walking through the area?

tricky D

bumper234 wrote: »

Who decides in this little gang of yours exactly who is the "dirtbag" and who is just an innocent person walking through the area?

Mod note: vigilantism is not legal and thus not a topic for discussion here. Thanks.

Aard

tricky D wrote: »

On the flip side, I was in that area last week, back and forth over about 2 hours and saw a sum total of zero junkies. Same the time before.

I've rarely been east of O'Connell St, compared to very frequently being all over the rest of town. One of the few times I've been on Talbot St I found a syringe on the path. Anecdotes will differ from person to person, but that doesn't mean that there is or isn't a problem. Compared to other parts of town, this area does have a higher concentration of junkies. Whether this poses a problem to people or indeed the city's image is debatable.

ScouseMouse

I was in town last saturday and I have an issue with robbing junkies. I hate them.

I was in a certain shopping mall near Moore St, and a junkie bumped into me. He turned and apologised then asked me for money. He was off his face. I refused and he then went and put his arm over the back of a crepe stall and robbed a banana. Then he went outside and ate it.

Then he came back in and started bumping into people again. I tipped off security and they took him outside.

I hate that crap. I took a walk around the corner into a discount store and there is another one, a slight girl, thin and gaunt. Picking up stuff and sticking it into her top. I waited till she walked past the tills and let a roar at her that she should pay for the stuff before she went out the door. Everyone stopped and stared at her. She flipped and told me she was gonna get me punched and my iphone robbed.

I mentioned I didnt have an iphone and she went for me. I told her, DONT!. So then she just screamed at me in front of everyone.

I left satisfied, but guess I really do need to find a way to switch off

foggy_lad

There are a few rough looking characters begging along the luas line between Heuston and Connolly at the moment one in particular who looks like an older man but is probably about 35-45 and pretends to be retarded or suffering from the effects of a stroke. He shuffles along and dribbles from his mouth and has his mouth contorted and keeps repeating the same incoherent sentence again and again(change/€2 for a hostel) and just stands in front of tourists dribbling and babbling like a halfwit.

I have seen him on other occasions when he was not walking like a stroke victim and was talking perfectly with another of the city's scammer beggars, the security guards on the red line know them all by name!

There is another elderly? man that hangs around the bus stops on O'Connnell street begging, he is on crutches and gives the impression that he is homeless and a stroke victim. I have also seen this guy skip along the street to get away from approaching Gardai. Had a chat with a Garda at the 11 bus stop a while ago and he said the guy is well known as a shoplifter and pickpocket as well as his begging.

I have never given beggars on the street money but always stick a tenner or fiver in collections for Simon Community or SVDeP.

Greenmachine

superscouse wrote: »

I was in town last saturday and I have an issue with robbing junkies. I hate them.

I was in a certain shopping mall near Moore St, and a junkie bumped into me. He turned and apologised then asked me for money. He was off his face. I refused and he then went and put his arm over the back of a crepe stall and robbed a banana. Then he went outside and ate it.

Then he came back in and started bumping into people again. I tipped off security and they took him outside.

I hate that crap. I took a walk around the corner into a discount store and there is another one, a slight girl, thin and gaunt. Picking up stuff and sticking it into her top. I waited till she walked past the tills and let a roar at her that she should pay for the stuff before she went out the door. Everyone stopped and stared at her. She flipped and told me she was gonna get me punched and my iphone robbed.

I mentioned I didnt have an iphone and she went for me. I told her, DONT!. So then she just screamed at me in front of everyone.

I left satisfied, but guess I really do need to find a way to switch off

Robbing for the hell of it. I am sure they get fed already between hostels and soup runs.

An Claidheamh

superscouse wrote: »

I was in town last saturday and I have an issue with robbing junkies. I hate them.

I was in a certain shopping mall near Moore St, and a junkie bumped into me. He turned and apologised then asked me for money. He was off his face. I refused and he then went and put his arm over the back of a crepe stall and robbed a banana. Then he went outside and ate it.

Then he came back in and started bumping into people again. I tipped off security and they took him outside.

I hate that crap. I took a walk around the corner into a discount store and there is another one, a slight girl, thin and gaunt. Picking up stuff and sticking it into her top. I waited till she walked past the tills and let a roar at her that she should pay for the stuff before she went out the door. Everyone stopped and stared at her. She flipped and told me she was gonna get me punched and my iphone robbed.

I mentioned I didnt have an iphone and she went for me. I told her, DONT!. So then she just screamed at me in front of everyone.

I left satisfied, but guess I really do need to find a way to switch off

Fair play to you.

She didn't sound weak and feeble to me, as people who don't frequent the city centre like to portray.

These junkies aren't exactly shy about pointing out the nationality or colour of workers or tourists either.

Some just deserve a slap.

An Claidheamh

foggy_lad wrote: »

There are a few rough looking characters begging along the luas line between Heuston and Connolly at the moment one in particular who looks like an older man but is probably about 35-45 and pretends to be retarded or suffering from the effects of a stroke. He shuffles along and dribbles from his mouth and has his mouth contorted and keeps repeating the same incoherent sentence again and again(change/€2 for a hostel) and just stands in front of tourists dribbling and babbling like a halfwit.

I have seen him on other occasions when he was not walking like a stroke victim and was talking perfectly with another of the city's scammer beggars, the security guards on the red line know them all by name!

There is another elderly? man that hangs around the bus stops on O'Connnell street begging, he is on crutches and gives the impression that he is homeless and a stroke victim. I have also seen this guy skip along the street to get away from approaching Gardai. Had a chat with a Garda at the 11 bus stop a while ago and he said the guy is well known as a shoplifter and pickpocket as well as his begging.

I have never given beggars on the street money but always stick a tenner or fiver in collections for Simon Community or SVDeP.

Is he baldish/grey haired, leather jacket?

old hippy

Meanwhile the junkies who are rich enough to snort their drugs of choice clog up the trendy bars, fancy hotels and less visible parts of Dublin. Allegedly. You know the type; the more "respectable" addicts. Allegedly.

cunnifferous

Nixon Huge Stingray wrote: »

Before anyone looks down their noses at junkies I'd dare them to watch this series of videos interviewing junkies on the streets of Dublin.

Nixon Huge Stingray wrote: »

And?.

I'm guessing he was referring to that part.

Amalgam

A real chore walking along O'Connell Street in the evening, with the tourists, there seems to be a big rise in young lads cycling at quite a speed and just grabbing anything they can.

That activity has always been there, but it does seem busy at the moment.

Don't assume you'll be robbed by a pill mong, a lot of the dippers are non descript, usually middle aged women, with finely chiselled hands, to get into your belongings.. busy along Westmoreland Street, the bus stops near where Bewley's used to be.