‘Take back our little town from the weeds’

Dundee has had a harrowing year.

In summing up 2018, with the flood disasters that claimed a total of 10 lives plus the tragic search for Jakes Juggan, his wife, Molly and friend, Ashok, the Courier team said ‘that never again would we want to live through such a year in Dundee’. Sadly, we have done it and are doing it.

2019 can be divided in two halves: pre June 20 and post June 20. Before that, the ugly underbelly of hard drugs, peddled by largely dodgy, foreign people operating in the shadows of the CBD after dark, was only talked about. No one in so-called polite company had actually seen someone (foreign or otherwise) sell a drug to anyone – school child or not. The banter at the pubs, clubs and cocktail parties would quickly move away from the topic to more comfortable conversations like rugby and the latest debacle in the Endumeni Council.

But after June 20, the startling and sad reality of crack cocaine, tik and other narcotics being openly sold on the Dundee streets was an ugly boil that was lanced, following David Yates’ shooting spree. The drugs were real; those who sold them existed and they openly attended court hearings whenever Yates appeared – seemingly more protected than a rhino.

Support groups were swiftly formed and it came out that peddlers sell their grotesque wares to even primary school children. The reported dealers who had succumbed to Yates’ fury had been replaced faster than a footballer being substituted.

Calls to the police to intervene and arrest dealers, it was said, largely went unanswered. Dundee after dark is not a nice place, many in the security business have averred. Many have their dealer on speed dial.

“Crack cocaine arrives quicker than a pizza in Dundee and is a hell of a lot more reliable than an ambulance,” quipped one sage.

But why has it been allowed to happen, that drugs can be so easily obtained and even school children are targeted? The same sage said it is so embedded in our society that, like prostitution, it would be always with us as long as there are clients.

Clearly vigilantism does not work, but what can work is a community working together with pride. The former New York Police Commissioner, William Bratton’s famed ‘broken windows policy’ stated visible signs of crime, anti-social behavior and civil disorder create an urban environment encouraging further crime and disorder, including serious offences.

The theory suggests policing methods targeting minor crimes such as vandalism, public drinking and fare evasion help to create an atmosphere of order and lawfulness, thereby preventing more serious crimes. In other words, to ensure weeds to not overtake the garden, keep on weeding.

Perhaps we should all do our bit to ensure that, without waiting to call the police. Landlords can do more to ensure their buildings are kept clean and are the pride of the town. The municipality will have to be far more vigilant in keeping the bylaws, or the weeds will certainly flourish. That’s our challenge.

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