One in every 26 people living in the Ballyfermot area of west Dublin was using heroin early last year, according to research by the Ballyfermot Drugs Task Force.
Thr task force chairman, Mr David Connolly, said the figure was based on statistics from the Garda, the Eastern Health Board and community groups.
There were approximately 1,000 heroin-users during research in March and April last year, out of a population of 26,000 people. The Ballyfermot area is described by the task force as between Cherry Orchard Hospital and Sarsfield Road, and extending between Cloverhill and Lough Conn Road.
Almost £1 million has been allocated to the task force for projects in the area. Last night the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, congratulated the group for drawing up the plan and said it would have to show results. "We endorse the view that social exclusion is the underlying cause that must be tackled," he said.
Insp Frank Timoney, who is on the task force, said its objective was to help local people to tackle the problem with professionals. "The input of the community is vital to the plan.".
Official figures for drug-related arrests in the area were 3,900 last year, according to Mr Connolly. However, it is believed that gardai were arresting more than 500 people a week in the area, at the height of Operation Dochas. A senior Garda source said 80 per cent of those arrested were carrying drugs or large amounts of money.
One local woman said she accepted the figure of one person in 26 using heroin, but it was less visible than last year. The area had been targeted by drug-users, the woman said. "They were dumping on us, not just from Dublin, from all over the country." However, things had improved with Operation Dochas and a community Garda scheme.
