Intimidation, forcing people out of their homes, punishment beatings and even murder - that is the daily reality of life for people living in the parts of this country worst effected by gangland crime.
It is an issue that will be discussed before the Joint Oireacthas Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality this morning at 10am.
Newstalk Breakfast has been speaking to people living in one of those communities and also those working with them to combat the effects of gangland.
Darndale in North Dublin is an area that has been deeply scarred by gangland crime. According to people living there, this continues to be the case. Despite the fact that Ireland’s gangland problem isn’t hitting the headlines like it once was, residents feel they’re still living in fear.
Angela McLaughlin has lived in Darndale for 40 years. She is as well placed as anyone to assess the scale of today's gangland problem...
The wider effect of living in this environment is fear. Fear of intimidation of neighbours, fear of being forced out of their homes, fear of being forced out of the country and a huge fear of reporting to the gardai.
These fears are shared by those working with the communities to combat the problems. The Dublin North East Drug Task Force are involved in 12 different community based drug projects in North East Dublin.
Shane Brennan is the Co-ordinater for the Task Force and he explained to Breakfast how that cloud of fear and intimidation ultimately forces people into making choices they wouldn’t otherwise dream of making…
State agencies play a significant role in tackling gangland crime, The Probation Service as much as anyone. They work with approximately 8,000 offenders out in those communities on any given day. Vivian Guerin is the Director of the Probation Service and he shared with Breakfast what was unique in dealing with gang members as opposed to criminals operating on their own...
While Vivian holds out hope that gang members can change their ways, it's not a hope shared by those who face this problem every day. Years of bitter experience has inevitably bred a certain amount of fatalism...
