Drugs meeting branded a 'farce'

A group calling itself Concerned Parents Against Drugs organised the meeting at North Lurgan Community Centre last Thursday.

Around 150 people attended.

One person who was there claimed it turned into “a purely political affair” and believes it was manipulated by dissident republicans.

It’s understood that some members of the meeting’s panel suggested that the PSNI should not be involved in any solution to the drug problem in the north Lurgan area.

The ‘MAIL’ source said: “The group made clear that they would have no dealings with the police. I think it was just a credibility gaining exercise for them in the wake of recent violence in the area. It was overtly political. They also have no real strategy to deal with the source of the problem. They just want to move the problem into another area.”

The ‘MAIL’ received a letter from another person who attended the meeting.

The person, who did not wish to be named, said: “Parents went to the meeting hoping to hear what could be done to help the children in this community, not to end up listening to a political debate.”

However, one of the founders of the group, Paul McKerr, dismissed the allegations that the meeting was politicised as “lies”.

He said: “If there was anybody turning it into a political affair, it was Sinn Fin. There are Republicans involved in the group. We make no secret of that, but we are mainly parents who are genuinely concerned about the problems in the north Lurgan area.”

The group was set up two months ago by a number of residents and community activists concerned about drug problems in north Lurgan.

Mr McKerr said he did not think involving the police would achieve anything.

He said: “This decision is not entirely political. There are practical reasons for it. We have had a number of problems in this area. When the PSNI were contacted, they refused to help because it was Kilwilkie. I don’t see how their involvement can improve anything.”

However, Sinn Fin refuted the claims made by Mr McKerr.

Cllr Johnny McGibbon said: “Drug dealing and the issues around the abuse of narcotics is a serious one which concerns all sections of our society. It should not be used as a political football or as a means of building political credibility. This is a major problem in our society and can only be dealt with effectively through the combined efforts of all agencies, including the PSNI.

“Attempting to move drug dealers out of one area will not resolve the issue of drug abuse; it will simply mean that the users go to where the pushers are to buy their supplies.

“The responsibility for political representatives is to ensure that the statutory agencies including the PSNI carry out their responsibilities to the full and that they work with and assist those community and youth groups which are already working to tackle the problem.”