The Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald says new figures on intimidation of drug users shows the need for a second Special Criminal Court.

New research shows that over two-thirds of people experiencing drug-related intimidation do not report incidents to the gardaí mainly for fear of reprisal.

The research was carried out jointly by CityWide Drugs Crisis Campaign, and criminologist Dr Johnny Connolly.

It also shows that almost half of the incidents of intimidation involved physical violence, and almost one-third involved damage to homes or property.

Anna Quigley, CityWide's coordinator, says the research involved an audit of 140 intimidation report forms collected from 13 local and regional drugs task forces.

"Nearly three-quarters of the cohort said that they did not report the intimidation to the gardaí for fear of reprisal. Instead, 89% of these respondents reported incidents to a community organisation or a family support group", she said.

"This is in sharp contrast with the general experience of the fear of crime - where Central Statistics Office research shows that fear of reprisal is seldom given as a reason for non-reporting of crime".

"The fact that people are willing to report to community organisations highlights the importance of building better garda-community links and putting adequate resources into community safety structures", she added.

Drug debt was the main reason identified for intimidation, with almost half of the respondents saying that the debt was between €500 and €5,000.

Almost half of the respondents - 45% - paid the debt, with 30% saying that they took no action on foot of the intimidation.

"While more research is needed to establish the precise outcomes for people who paid the debt, previous research shows that the 'debt' didn't simply end when it was paid off. Clearly, it's important to establish what the consequences were for those did not or could not pay", Ms Quigley commented.

Minister Fitzgerald says it is a matter the government needs to face up to.