PRESS RELEASE

May 21^st 2010

Tallaght Community urged to

Re-Dial to Stop Drug Dealing

People living in the Tallaght area that are impacted by the destructive effects of drug dealing were today again urged to DIAL TO STOP DRUG DEALING ? 1800 220 220. ??

The call came today at the re-launch of TALLAGHT DIAL TO STOP DRUG DEALING from the Lord Mayor of South Dublin, Cllr Mick Duff.

Dial to stop drug dealing is an initiative to tackle drug dealing in local communities around Ireland.? It provides a safe, confidential and completely anonymous way for individuals to pass on information on drug dealing in their local community.? The individual is never asked for their name, their address or any other information which might identify them.? They can rest assured that the person answering their call will not know them and will not recognise their voice.? The information gathered is passed on directly to An Garda S?och?na.??

The re-promotion of the Tallaght campaign follows their succussful phase one of the campaign launched in October 2008.

Speaking at the launch, the Mayor of South Dublin County said: ?I am again calling on any person with information on drug dealing in their local area to call the Dial to Stop freephone number 1800 220 220 today.? The number is free and can be called at any time day or night.

?Dial to Stop Drug Dealing is a completely safe and anonymous way for people to take a stand against drug dealing in their community. You won?t be asked to identify yourself so you can pass on your vital information in the safest way possible.?

TALLAGHT Drugs Task Force coordinator said: ?We know from the success we experienced after the first launch of the campaign in 2008 that Dial to Stop Drug Dealing can yield information of great significance to the Garda? and we want to repeat that success for the Tallaght area.? Additionally, it became apparent over the last few years that the physical presence of neighborhood advertising posters created energy and instilled confidence among local residents.? ?We are again asking people to pick up the phone today and pass on whatever information they might have on drug dealing activity in their area.? Dial to Stop Drug Dealing today.???

Dial to stop drug dealing has been rolled out in a series of local campaigns in a number of local or regional drugs task force areas around the

Country. The TALLAGHT DIAL TO STOP DRUG DEALING campaign is run by the Tallaght Local Drugs Task Force.?

In 2008, a pre-campaign poll in the participating areas revealed significant public support for an anti-drug dealing initiative with the majority polled showing a civic conscience and a desire to play a part in reducing the presence of drugs in their own communities.?

Some 64% of those polled identified drugs as a main social problem in their area.? 56% of people reported that they were ?very likely? or ?somewhat likely? to call a non-Garda confidential telephone number to give information on drug activity in their area.

Activities

Promotional activities in this phase of the campaign will include:

• Community Awareness & Information: Neighborhood large poster campaign
• Dublin Bus: Both internally on all Tallaght bus routes & on bus shelters around the Tallaght area
• Referrals: Community projects will be issued with information to give to clients, should they wish to access the phone line.
• Local press: The Tallaght Echo.

To date, the line has received over 6,000 calls to date with over 1,700 reports to the Gardai.

For more information or interviews, please contact:

Grace Hill

Tallaght Drugs Task Force

Ph. 466 4243 or email: grace.hill@tallpart.com