A Cavan councillor has raised her concerns in relation to the negative impact that substance abuse is having across the locality. According to Fianna Fáil's Patricia Walsh, drug use is becoming a "scourge on society" and as a mother and grandmother she is "concerned" for the well-being of future generations.
Cllr Walsh says it is "heart-breaking" to see the impact drugs is having on young people and their families. As a result, she has called for "more to be done" in relation to detecting the criminals who are selling drugs to make a profit.
Speaking to Northern Sound, Cllr Walsh believes there are positive steps forward in eradicating the sale of drugs on local streets for good. "There is a major issue with drugs and we need to address it," warned Cllr Walsh. "We know from the past, when there was a drugs unit in Cavan Town it really did work as a deterrent to these criminals.
"Gardaí were on the ground and they were seen by the public, they were able to build-up a rapport and gain a sense of trust with local people which enabled members of the public to confide in Gardaí with any information they many have of drug-related offences.
"I know there is a recruitment crisis within An Garda Siochana at the moment, but we need more guards on-the-beat if we want to stop these drug dealers. We need community Gardaí out meeting people who are terrified to report information even though drug deals are openly happening on our streets. We need to do more to detect the people who are selling these drugs because they are the ones who deserve to be locked-up."
