Crack cocaine in the Dublin region - Health Research Board

In the UK, there is a strong consensus that police crackdowns or targeted enforcementinitiatives that are deployed over a short period of time and focus on specific drugdealingareas have only limited success. Dealers often return and continue to distributeillicit drugs when police resources are directed elsewhere (Burgess 2003). The mobilephone has greatly increased the capacity of closed markets to operate withoutdetection. In addition to this, crack houses are considered to be a response to theincreased policing of open markets. Wilson and Stevens (2008: 9) conclude: ‘Whenviewed in the context of a market, preventing the buying and selling of all illegal drugsis not an achievable goal of law enforcement.’ The ability of crack markets to adapt tolaw-enforcement activities has also been identified in the US. An ethnographic studyin New York described how the process of crack distribution has adapted and changedin response to law-enforcement policies and competition (Johnson et al. 2000). In thelate 1980s and early 1990s crack cocaine was primarily sold in the street and washighly visible. In response to law-enforcement policies, crack selling moved indoorsto crack houses or was sold out of what appeared to be legitimate businesses suchas laundromats and pool halls. Crack sellers also became more cautious about whothey sold to in response to ‘buy-bust’ techniques used by the police. These operationsinvolve undercover police purchasing drugs and then immediately arresting the selleronce the transaction is made. The situation in Ireland is similar to that in the UK,where the advent of mobile phones has made the operation of closed markets easier.Effective intervention strategies may be those that combine attempts to disrupt localmarkets, thus rendering them less predictable to both buyers and sellers, with attemptsto divert drug offenders into treatment services (EMCDDA 2005). In the UK, arrestreferral schemes offer the opportunity for drug-using offenders detained by the policeto meet with an arrest referral worker in police custody and to be referred to drugservices (Burgess 2003). However, evaluations of this scheme suggest that crack usersare the least likely to take advantage of these schemes. Reasons for this include thelack of availability of immediate help, the volatility of users and a lack of faith in whattreatment services can offer. Another strategy is to frustrate the operation of drugmarkets by placing obstacles in the way of the buying process. The regular patrollingof drug hotspots and intensive policing of new ‘open drug scenes’ can facilitate this.While such an approach is unlikely to deter regular drug users, it may serve to detercasual users.In recent years we have witnessed throughout Europe a greater level of debate aboutthe most appropriate way to intervene in, and respond to, local drug markets andrelated problems (Connolly 2006b). Strategic thinking, in-depth problem analysis, longtermplanning and partnership between agencies and stakeholders are characteristicof this new development. Such partnership approaches often involve collaborationbetween law-enforcement, social and health services, and other stakeholders, includingCrack cocaine in the Dublin region: an evidence base for a crack cocaine strategy101