A former Deputy Commissioner of the New York Police Department, Mr John Timmoney, said in Cork yesterday that Irish cities could make significant advances in dealing with the drug problem if enough disincentives were put in place.
Just 21/2 years ago, police in New York had 2,245 murders on their books which they believed were linked to drug crimes. However, as a result of more aggressive policing last year, the drug related homicide figure had now been brought down to 1,200.
Mr Timmoney told a news conference that training and the use of the most up to date technology were vital components in the fight against drug lords.
Another essential element was the use of the tax authorities to crack down on the drug lords.
Police in the United States had the power to confiscate cars, property and other resources of the drug barons. The proceeds from the sale of such assets was then used by police forces to purchase better equipment to combat drugs.
"My belief is that governments and cities should adopt a policy of zero tolerance with regard to drugs", Mr Timmoney continued. "In some countries, like Holland there is a tolerance to marijuana, which is regarded as a soft drug, but the way I see it is that marijuana is a gateway drug that can lead on to other drug abuses. Police forces should send the message out that they will not tolerate drugs or possession of drugs under any circumstances.
"One of the advantages of this policy is that it forces people to make a choice, knowing what the effect of that choice may be."
Irish police should also consider the use of anonymous "hot lines" which could be used by people who had information relating to drugs, he said.
While it was vital that cities pooled all their resources in the fight against the drug barons, it was equally important that each agency involved in combating the spread of drugs had a clearly defined role and knew precisely what its function was.