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FactCheck: Do supervised injection centres reduce drug-related crime?

In Part Two of a three-part series, FactCheck looks into a claim by Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn, during a debate on Tonight With Vincent Browne.

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THE GOVERNMENT IS advancing legislation to allow for the creation of supervised injection facilities (SIFs), where drug users can legally inject drugs in a medically-supervised centre.

Naturally, the debate around this proposal has intensified, and on TV3′s Tonight With Vincent Browne last week, there was a robust back-and-forth between Catherine Byrne, the minister in charge of the plan, and Dublin City councillor Mannix Flynn, who is opposed to it.

There were a few very noteworthy factual claims, so we’ve broken this into three parts.

Yesterday, we examined Minister of State Byrne’s claim that, contrary to widespread contention, there are 787 detox beds in Ireland.

Tonight, we’re checking Mannix Flynn’s claim that SIFs do not reduce drug-related crime.

And on Monday night, we’ll take a look at his claim that SIFs do not reduce drug-related deaths.

(Send your FactCheck requests to factcheck@thejournal.ie, tweet @TJ_FactCheck, or send us a DM).

What was said: You can watch a short video with an excerpt of the debate, below. But our focus here is on this statement:

Across the globe, the statistics are really clear in relation to these particular centres – they don’t reduce crime, they don’t reduce deaths.

Claim: Supervised injection facilities don’t reduce crime

THE FACTS

Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn. TV3.ie TV3.ie

Before we start, it should also be noted that the Councillor is referring here to drug-related crime and drug-related deaths.

In response to our request for evidence, Mannix Flynn provided a summary of research published by Drug Free Australia, a group critical of SIFs there.

It contained material related to many aspects of this issue, but nothing on drug-related crime.

FactCheck examined several reviews and studies relating to the possible effect of SIFs on crime rates. Here’s an overview of what we found:

Europe

1. According to a major 2004 review (pg 63) of European SIFs (or “consumption rooms”), commissioned by the EU’s European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA), five studies of Dutch SIFs (all written in Dutch) found a decrease in the level of “public nuisance” after they were opened.

The same review reported that a 2001 study (also in Dutch) tracked the level of drug-related and property crime, and disorder, in the vicinity of an SIF in the Dutch city of Groningen, before and after its opening.

It found that there was no increase or decrease in drug-related disorder and nuisance, or property crime, after the SIF was opened, and there were anecdotal reports of a reduction in public drug use.

The 2004 EMCDDA review (pg 68) also reported that police in the Swiss city of Geneva examined the rate of crime typically associated with drug use (theft, burglary, threats, and so on) in the vicinity of an SIF, before and after its opening.

They concluded that there had been no increase or decrease in the level of drug-related crime after the opening of the centre.

Australia

After the New South Wales government set up Australia’s first SIF in Sydney in 2001, a series of follow-up reviews were ordered.

2. The first of these (pg 128), in 2003, used police records to measure rates of robbery, theft, loitering, public drug use and possession in the vicinity of the centre, in the 27 months before, and 16 months after it opened.

It concluded that:

  • There was a temporary increase in theft and robbery early in 2001, but this was also seen in other parts of Sydney, and was most likely caused by a nationwide heroin shortage
  • There was no significant increase or decrease in loitering at the front of the SIF after it opened
  • There was a statistically significant increase in loitering at the back of the SIF after it opened, but loitering, in general, was very rare

3. A 2005 academic study covered much of the same ground as the 2003 review, using much of the same data, and involving one of the same researchers. However, it also tracked the rate of public drug use and possession, and found:

  • There was no significant increase or decrease in incidents of public cocaine and heroin possession or use after the SIF opened.

4. In 2006, an update by the New South Wales Bureau of Crime and Statistics found:

  • There was a temporary uptick in robberies in the beginning of 2001, which they suggest was related to a national heroin shortage.
  • Between 2002 and 2006, robbery and theft declined steadily in the vicinity of the SIF, but – crucially – also declined at around the same rate in the rest of Sydney.
  • Between 2001 and 2004, there was a significant decline in drug offences (possession and dealing) in Sydney at large, but no clear trend in the vicinity of the SIF.

Heroin Havens Inside the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre in Sydney. Rick Rycroft / PA Images Rick Rycroft / PA Images / PA Images

5. A 2008 update found:

  • Between 2001 and 2007, there was an overall decline in robbery and theft, both in the vicinity of the SIF and in Sydney at large
  • While in Sydney at large there was no change in the level of public drug use and possession, there were some increases and some decreases in the vicinity of the SIF

6. A 2010 update found:

  • Between 2001 and 2010, there was, on the whole, a decline in robbery and theft in the vicinity of the SIF, and the rest of Sydney
  • Drug use and possession was stable in the vicinity of the SIF and Sydney at large, with the exception of cocaine possession, which saw an increase in both geographic areas

7. A 2013 update found:

  • Between 2001 and 2012, there was an overall decline in robbery and theft both near the SIF and in Sydney at large
  • After a stable trend between 2001 and 2008, an increase in drug possession and use was observed starting in 2009, but this was also seen in the rest of Sydney

Canada

8.2004 study tracked incidents of public injection, the public discarding of syringes, and injection-related rubbish in the vicinity of an SIF in Vancouver, Canada – in the six weeks before and three months after it opened in 2003.

After adjusting for variations in weather and police activity (both of which have an effect on public drug use), the research found a decrease in all three measures of drug-related disorder.

Researchers also observed no statistically significant increase or decrease in the presence of “suspected drug dealers” in the vicinity of the centre, but the study offers little detail on what exactly these observations entailed.

9. Two years later, a study written by three of the same researchers explored this issue in greater detail.

Using police statistics on criminal charges relating to incidents in the vicinity of the centre, the researchers compared the 12 months before the opening of the centre with the 12 months after. They found:

  • No statistically significant change in drug-dealing
  • No statistically significant change in assaults or robberies
  • A statistically significant decrease in vehicle break-ins and thefts

The authors warned against over-interpreting the decline in break-ins and thefts, because patterns in police activity and enforcement may have played a role in it.

Discussion

Greece Drug Declaration Inside a supervised injection facility in Athens, Greece. AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

It should be noted that studies on this subject are marked by a widespread reluctance on the part of researchers to causally attribute any increases or decreases in drug-related crime to the opening of an SIF.

The literature reveals a complex web of interconnected factors, any or some of which, in isolation or combination, could contribute to changes in drug-related crime.

Most studies noted the role of police activity, in particular.

For example, a law enforcement “crackdown” on public drug use or dealing might coincide with the opening of an SIF.

(Indeed, in some cases it was observed that police strategically increased this enforcement, as an incentive to drug users to avail of the injection centre, rather than face arrest for public drug use).

This increased police activity is very likely to manifest itself as an uptick in the number of arrests and charges for drug-related crime.

If this happens after the opening of an injection centre, it could lead to the false conclusion that the opening of the injection centre was the cause of the increase.

Similarly, the availability of certain drugs (particularly heroin) in a certain area, can have a bearing on drug-related crime.

A heroin shortage, such as that seen in Australia in 2000-2001 , is very likely to lead to a decrease in public drug dealing and drug use (and therefore associated arrests).

If this happens around the same time an SIF is opened, it could lead to the false conclusion that the opening of the SIF was responsible for the reduction.

To complicate matters further, the New South Wales research found that the national heroin shortage was linked to increased use of cocaine, which was in turn associated with a temporary increase in burglary and theft.

And finally, there are limitations to some of the existing research. The reviews of the Sydney SIF include comparisons between crime rates in the vicinity of the SIF with those in the rest of Sydney.

These comparisons are very important, and generally show that trends in crime near the SIF were mirrored in the rest of Sydney, suggesting little or no impact on crime (in any direction) resulting from the opening of the SIF.

The research on the SIF in Vancouver lacks such geographical comparison, and also tracks crime rates over a much shorter period of time – both factors likely to undermine the validity and reliability of the findings.

So it’s important to be cautious in examining this evidence, and not to over-interpret results.

Conclusion

On the whole, our research uncovered some evidence, but no clear pattern, of reductions in drug-related crime after the opening of an SIF.

Mannix Flynn’s claim was that SIFs “don’t reduce” crime. We rate his claim Mostly TRUE.

As our Verdicts Guide explains, this means: “The claim is close to accurate, but is missing significant details or context. Or, the best available evidence weighs in favour of the claim”.

It’s also important to note that our research did not uncover a clear pattern of increases in drug-related crime after the opening of an SIF, either, although Mannix Flynn did not make that claim.

This is the first time we’ve fact-checked a claim by Cllr Mannix Flynn. In future, you’ll be able to find his FactCheck File here.

On Monday night, we’ll examine Mannix Flynn’s claim that supervised injection facilities do not reduce deaths.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles.

You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here.

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42 Comments
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    Mute Cathal
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:04 PM

    When are we getting the “Ibrahim Halawa the poor innocent Irishman” fact check?

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    Mute Grey Beard
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:25 PM

    @Cathal: You know what, I’d like to see this too. A lot of “facts” being thrown around on both sides. Never actually seen evidence of him ripping up his Irish passport.

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    Mute John Flanagan
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    Feb 20th 2017, 10:53 AM

    @Grey Beard: You should “thank” the Halawa family for cleaning six incriminating videos which included the allegedly passport rip-up vid from his YouTube channel & his Facebook page.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2017, 1:59 PM
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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2017, 4:06 PM

    @Clever Jake: true ,but the alternative was potential Sharia law!!

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    Mute Grey Beard
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    Feb 20th 2017, 6:31 PM

    @John Flanagan: How did they manage that John? Once they are on the internet, they are on the internet. If it’s been taken down from one source its bound to pop up on another. No one has been able to produce an evidence of it. Looking at the video Sean linked, seems like the guy was protesting a military coup that over threw a democratic government. Whether we like the MB or not they were democratically elected. A similar military coup happened in neighbouring Algeria in the 90s. The military are still running the country. I can certainly see why he would be protesting the Military in this situation. Hardly a good sign that he was locked up for it.

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    Mute Denise Prendergast
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:30 PM

    I live beside a junkie and believe me they are not quite, they come and go at all hours . My opinion is rather then opening up these injection centres put them in them until they can sort their lives out

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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Feb 19th 2017, 11:16 PM

    It would be absurd to extrapolate that injection centres help reduce crime anywhere. To do that one would have to presume that the presence of such centres has a direct bearing on where and how junkies procure the money to feed their habits.
    They don’t.
    Addicts are going to get jobs now and fund their habit through gainful employment, is that it?
    Absolute nonsense.
    Whether there are injection centres there or not addicts will still resort to criminal activity to find the money. They have no other option.
    So essentially Ireland’s addicts will commit crimes such as burglary, muggings, handbag snatching, shoplifting, car theft, dealing etc etc and the state will then through misuse of taxpayer’s money offer them the facility to inject the ill gotten gains. If the argument is that these centres will reduce the incidence of overdose then what we will have is a drug subculture run by ruthless criminal gangs, funded by criminal activity where the life expectancy of the participants is now increased thanks to Irish taxpayer’s hard earned cash.
    Yay! Longer living criminals.
    Is it any wonder that the greatest exponent of theatre of the absurd was an Irishman.

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    Mute Niamh Curry
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    Feb 20th 2017, 12:51 AM

    @Emmet O’Keeffe:

    Completely agree.

    Here’s a link to a recent story in Vancouver about criminal gangs using drug addicts to steal stuff for the black market. It’s built into the business model!! Let’s not even mention prostitution eh!

    http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/criminals-using-drug-addicts-to-steal-goods-for-black-market-vancouver-police-1.3291734

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    Mute Emmet O'Keeffe
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    Feb 20th 2017, 4:26 PM

    @Clever Jake:
    ‘You can end all crime if you legalise all drugs’
    You on drugs?

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    Mute Mark Byrne
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:55 PM

    So you can legally inject a drug that is highly illegal, but you could walk outside and be arrested if you smoke a joint?

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    Mute Seán J. Troy
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:32 PM

    Injection centre don’t reduce the rate of bunions but it’s not for that either. It’s not designed to reduce crime. It’s designed to reduce drug related deaths.

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    Mute Patrick Gough
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    Feb 19th 2017, 11:34 PM

    There are people in dublin tonight about to inject their first shot of heroin. They havery a choice. There is free will. don’t use hard drugs.

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    Mute Mark Gearey
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    Feb 20th 2017, 11:16 AM

    @Patrick Gough: Well done. That solves that problem.

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    Mute KK
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    Feb 20th 2017, 1:05 AM

    I’m in Vancouver Canada-does not work
    and if anything has progressively gotten worse. We have the highest Drug/Heroine problem & Fentanyl disaster!
    Have the Brass come over here and take a trip downtown of the Main&Hastings area it’s an on going issue for 40+ years. It has businesses to move/or go under.
    You’re wasting valuable money. You would have to build an injunction site on every corner to make any difference as most junkies will just stash&jab once they have and not wait to get to that site blocks down the road.

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    Mute Paul Tao
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    Feb 20th 2017, 7:39 AM

    To be fair, drug use in East Hastings is on another level to Dublin.. There are junkies there that are like the whitewalkers from game of thrones. The cops have essentially allowed a “Hamsterdam” to emerge within a few square block radius just east of Gastown.

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    Mute Patrick Gough
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    Feb 19th 2017, 11:37 PM

    What about a free brothel for us sex addicts?

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    Mute Suzie Sunshine
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    Feb 19th 2017, 11:53 PM

    Ag but see the junkies aren’t getting heroin free though …

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Feb 19th 2017, 11:28 PM

    I’m not sure about how the journal does their research but the Hastings area of Vancouver is notorious for drug use. As far as I know things are a lot better since the opening of these booths. To dispose of a used needle by throwing it on the street is a crime . The booths prevent this . Fact.

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    Mute Niamh Curry
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    Feb 20th 2017, 12:45 AM

    @Ronan McDermott:

    I’m living on East Hastings in Vancouver right now (though further away from the downtown area) and you are completely wrong I’m afraid.

    There was a recent report on CTV news during the last big snowfall about a community centre in Olympic Villiage opening a warming station for homeless people because of the cold and very quickly the place was full of used and discarded needles. There was a scare with a small child attending a playgroup in the centre picking up one of the needles, that’s why it made the news. As part of the report, they spoke to a local official or city worker who said that there was 240,000 discarded needles picked up from the streets of Vancouver in just 2016. This is just in Metro Vancouver, nearly a quarter of a million discarded needles.

    It’ll be interesting to see what the fact check about drug related deaths says tomorrow. In Vancouver there is an overdose epidemic at the moment. 142 overdosed and died just in December 2016. The figure for the whole of 2016 is 914 in British Columbia, an increase of 80% from 2015. 116 people died from overdose in January. It’s the fentanyl.

    http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-gets-money-for-addictions-and-mental-health-in-federal-deal

    They claim that there hasn’t been a death at the Injection site but there’s been up to 4 ambulances stationed outside it for the last few months. So I find it hard to believe that someone hasn’t died there. They’ve been dying on the streets in the few blocks around the building anyway.

    I think that the drug ‘industry’ has moved far beyond anything like injection centres to be honest. There is fentanyl in everything here, even weed and this has led to the huge uptick in overdose deaths. Fentanyl kills you almost instantly so injection centres can only help so much in this environment.

    BC has already gotten an extra 10 million in funding from the government to ‘fight the overdose crisis’ including 5 million for an opioid taskforce. They’re starting to talk about giving out free ‘clean’ heroin to some addicts. That is feckin grim, and it’s not a sustainable solution. Taxpayers don’t want money being taken from services to give out free heroin. Morally speaking, is it a good idea to pump money into injection sites and free heroin to the hardest users when it could be invested in proper programs and centres to help them get off drugs.

    The official and media reaction is unreal here. Here’s an article on the plus side (!) of the overdose epidemic:

    http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/organ-transplants-surge-in-b-c-because-of-fentanyl-overdose-deaths

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    Mute Ronan McDermott
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    Feb 20th 2017, 1:11 AM

    @niamh curry : you completely disagree with me – fair enough . It’s been quite a while since I was in Vancouver but I’d doubt there is a booth in the Olympic village . But maybe I’m wrong. Fentanyl isn’t injected (as I understand ) so the destruction it causes is not relevant to this article in my opinion (even though it kills more people in Estonia than road accidents). I just feel there’s a lot of negativity from people about initiatives that don’t involve “locking people up” and thinking “outside the box” to try to alleviate the problem .

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    Mute Niamh Curry
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    Feb 20th 2017, 1:40 AM

    @Ronan McDermott:

    It’s not about disagreement though. The info you provided was incorrect.

    You really need to read my comment again. You said that discarding needles was illegal so didn’t happen and I told you 240,000 discarded needles were picked up by the City of Vancouver in 2016 according to a recent news report.

    I also didn’t claim there is an injection site in Olympic Villiage, I said it was a warming station opened in the community centre for homeless people to shelter from the cold. It led to the area becoming covered in discarded needles.

    Fentanyl is absolutely injected, and snorted and swallowed. It’s in everything, mostly in heroin, 90% of heroin used in the Injection site in Vancouver had fentanyl in it, they tested it:

    http://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/b-c-campaign-against-overdose-deaths-ramps-up-on-overdose-awareness-day

    I’m not trying to demonize or advocate punishment. I’m pointing out, with linked evidence, that the drug problem in Vancouver has gone way past Injection sites as a solution. And this could be the future for Ireland. Injection sites seem to be ‘ inside the box’ thinking and are not solving drug problems.

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    Mute KK
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    Feb 20th 2017, 2:50 AM

    Ronan take another visit over!

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    Mute Imnotrodten
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:41 PM

    I have no problem once they give people free heroin as well. Otherwise I want a racetrack for joyriders.

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    Mute Lorcan Cahill
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    Feb 20th 2017, 1:05 AM

    Should be housed aswell spike island

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    Mute Paul Lane
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    Feb 20th 2017, 12:01 AM

    He is a bullyboy drunken thug and wrong, check out the insite programme in Vancover. A nasty man to run into when he was drunk…I know

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    Mute Frank O' Shea
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    Feb 19th 2017, 10:04 PM

    Manix Would know as he works with the people in his area.

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    Mute James
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    Feb 19th 2017, 11:15 PM

    Flynn’s an arrogant self serving priсk..

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2017, 4:19 PM

    @James: well then hes definitely an Irish politician

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    Mute Kevin Slater
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    Feb 20th 2017, 7:19 AM

    Will the dealers now threaten users of the Centres if they stop buying their gear from them? I’d say so

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    Mute Daithi brogan
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    Feb 20th 2017, 12:11 AM

    It would if you could gas then oh am I bad!!

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    Mute Druglitter
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    Feb 20th 2017, 9:10 AM

    We are conducting a study on drug-related litter in Ireland. If you find needles you can upload photos to our site and hopefully with enough data we will be able to evaluate if and how effectively the centre has reduced drug litter. Druglitter.info

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    Mute Ollie Wolfensberger
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    Feb 20th 2017, 9:23 AM

    So Mannix Flynn was “mostly correct” in the fact check. Not many of his coworkers could pass that test in DCC.

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    Mute Barry C Mc Govern
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    Feb 20th 2017, 8:02 AM

    The fact check should have been do injection rooms reduce deaths or save lives. I don’t think anyone thought they’d reduce crime

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    Mute William Kelly
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    Feb 20th 2017, 6:03 AM

    The state operated drug injection service is a first step to remedial treatments, & in any case, interrupts the organised crime supply chain, which draws together the criminal gangs & infrastructure, causing murders right down to bag snatching.
    The service is a worthwhile effort for this alone.

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    Mute Lennon Flynn
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    Feb 20th 2017, 8:07 AM

    I believe the injection centres made things better for everyone in Lisbon but they also changed they’re approach in treatment and legality of all drugs. This narrow mindedness of having to approach it the same everywhere is absolute b#ll*x.. Seeing the state of our beautiful capitol and the amount of broken people, thank f#k something different is being done.

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    Mute Jack Bowden
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    Feb 20th 2017, 4:57 PM

    Since 2001 there has been a decline in robbery and theft throughout the industrialised western countries. To claim Sydney’s decease is down to an injection centre is just wishful thinking.

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    Mute Seán Domhnall O'Sullivan
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    Feb 20th 2017, 4:08 PM

    Fact check should look at the potential reduction in heroin deaths, thats probably a centres main function.

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    Mute Ryan Dub
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    Feb 26th 2017, 8:08 AM

    Mr Flynns comments were disingenuous. He had chosen his words very carefully, to conceal the truth.

    The evidence cited suggests that injection centers neither increase or reduce crime. Mr Flynn avoided stating this.
    Injection centers increase public safety, (eg by taking needles off the street), and increase the safety of users of the service, cutting down on street use, providing a clean safe environment, alcohol swabs, clean sterile water, etc, and having medical staff available, ready to use the opiate antidote, or call an ambulance if necessary.

    I was also very annoyed by his remarks about the Apollo House occupation, which I consider to have been a good thing, raising the issue of homelessness in the media, not to mention the topic of NAMA properties lying vacant, and being surreptitiously sold off to Vulture funds in suspicious circumstances.

    (Why do we not detox all prisoners in our jails, and provide some therapy to those who need it?)

    What’s your game, Mannix?

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