Residents in one Cork City centre neighbourhood say they are now afraid to go outside their doors due to open drug dealing and use, day and night, that is blighting their area.
The residents in and around the Douglas Street area in the South Parish say the past few months have seen an influx of drug users and dealers on to their streets, with much of the activity centred around the area in front of the historic Red Abbey tower. They say dealers are very active in the area, with large groups of drug users also reported in Tory Top Park in Ballyphehane and around Barrack Street. St Finbarr’s South, known as the South Chapel and the oldest Catholic church in Cork, has had problems with drug use around its grounds.
Nearby Barrack Street has had its own problems with anti-social behaviour and persistent drug dealing, with CorkBeo reporting in 2023 about one infamous location that has been widely known, for over a decade, as a hotspot. Residents in the area have been asking local representatives and Gardai for action on this for many years, but the situation remains unresolved.
But residents around Douglas Street have told CorkBeo that the area is now seeing constant drug dealing and drug use activity, with discarded syringes left everywhere and constant fighting. Dealers are driving into the area and dropping off drugs out the window of their cars before driving off again.
One resident told CorkBeo: “It’s every time we step outside our doors, there are people collapsed on the ground, we’re walking our kids to school over drug users passed out on the street. We have people screaming at each other, dealers with lookouts on the corners, it’s non-stop, and it’s been going on for months.”
“We do see Garda cars driving around but these dealers and their customers have the run of the streets. It surely wouldn’t take much to make it an inhospitable place for them, for starters, they shouldn’t be allowed to just hang out for hours in a big gang in an open area, drinking, taking drugs and fighting each other.”
Bloody bandages left on the pavement in front of Red Abbey – the one open space in the South Parish(Image: CB)
Residents in the area are unhappy with the attitude of the Coolmine Drug Treatment centre on Mary Street, saying they have made attempts to ask the Dublin HQ’d organisation about their safeguards for the area that hosts them, and what they tell those who use their services about their behaviour, but have found Coolmine to be unresponsive.
“I know that local people here have been asking them if they have somebody who can talk to the local community. As far as we know, they don’t,” said one local resident who asked not to be named, as there are dealers operating in the area who have been intimidating locals.
“The bit of ground in front of the Red Abbey is the one local open area we have. But it’s either got dealers and users camped out there all day or syringes left everywhere.”
A meeting will be held shortly between local residents, Cork City Council, and senior Gardai to discuss policing and anti-social behaviour in the Douglas Street Area.
Syringes strewn around in space where kids play
Local residents say the Gardai on the ground they have talked are aware of the situation and are trying to get resources switched into the area to combat what has become a very high-profile trade in and use of drugs.
Cork City centre has seen a significant decrease in anti-social behaviour thanks to months of High Visibility Patrols by Gardai in the areas around Oliver Plunkett Street and Patrick Street. This has been applauded by business leaders who had been very concerned about the level of anti-social behaviour and especially open and constant street drinking around our busiest streets.
However, while the High Visibility Patrols have been a marked success for Cork Gardai – the concern in the nearby Douglas Street area is that the problem has simply been pushed across the south channel of the Lee.
“We’re under siege here, they just bounce from our streets up to the treatment place in Arbour House next to St Finbarr’s Hospital, to the places they get their methadone. We know Tory Top park has been bad as well, and the local residents’ groups around there have made huge efforts to make that a lovely park,” said one resident.
“It’s not like we haven’t been asking for help – but the general attitude seems to be that Douglas Street is just flatland. We’re trying to remind the Gardai and the Council that there are families and a community here and this has gotten out of hand.”
CorkBeo has asked for a comment on the situation from Senior Gardai in Cork and we will update the story as we get more.
Cork South Central TD Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire told CorkBeo that he was aware of the issues in the South Parish and Ballyphehane.
“The reports we are getting in the south parish and Ballyphehane are really worrying, people should not have to be dealing with open drug dealing, and people leaving needles around the place is a huge health hazard to children and vulnerable people,” said the Sinn Féin TD.
“Last week I received several calls myself regarding people openly injecting drugs in a nearby park, and unfortunately the Garda response was not good enough. In this instance it was two hours from the first call until the people in question left and the Gardai did not arrive. I appreciate they are busy and under pressure but issues like this do need to be addressed, this is only a short distance from where children play and where matches will be taking place as the weather improves.”
The high visibility policing operation in the city centre itself is great and credit to the gardai for that there is definitely an improvement in the city centre, but I have been asking for this to be extended, to take in the south inner city, I recently had a motion about this on the local policing and community safety partnership. I have since written to the Gardaí asking them to add these area to regular patrols.”
“Some parts of the south inner city around Barrack St have been dealing with these issues for many years, and communities are rightfully frustrated, open drug dealing in residential areas isn’t something people should have to tolerate.”