Business Community Perspectives Relating to Substance Misuse in North Inner-City Dublin
A scoping study of business experiences, substance misuse and community safety in North Inner-City Dublin.
- Service
- Research
- Commissioned by
- North Inner City Dublin Drug and Alcohol Task Force, Ireland
About the project
Recognising the important role of businesses in Dublin’s North Inner City (NIC), the NIC Dublin Drug and Alcohol Task Force commissioned a scoping study to better understand how substance misuse, street-based harms and associated behaviours affect local businesses. The study responds to wider national and international concerns about substance misuse, visible vulnerability, anti-social behaviour and retail crime in dense urban environments, while addressing a relative gap in research on their implications for businesses. It explores how these issues affect business operations, staff wellbeing, customer confidence and perceptions of safety across the NIC.
EduRelate undertook the study between January and May 2026 using a mixed-methods approach, combining desk research and review of relevant national and international evidence with stakeholder interviews, focus groups, observational fieldwork and an anonymous survey of 162 local businesses. This enabled the research to capture experiences across the business community while situating local challenges within the wider evidence on substance use, community safety and place-based responses.
The findings identified recurring challenges associated with visible substance misuse, public intoxication, retail theft, intimidation and wider street-based vulnerability. Staff safety and wellbeing emerged as a particularly important concern, alongside disruption to business operations, customer safety and confidence, and pressures on the wider public realm. The research also highlighted the importance of distinguishing organised offending from behaviours associated with addiction, homelessness, mental-health needs and other forms of vulnerability.
The study recommended a coordinated, prevention-oriented and place-based response rather than reliance on enforcement alone. Priorities included strengthening collaboration between businesses, the Task Force, An Garda Síochána, Dublin City Council, outreach services, and health and community organisations; improving mechanisms for reporting and sharing local intelligence; strengthening practical guidance and support for frontline staff; and developing more coordinated responses to identified hotspots and recurring community-safety concerns. Environmental prevention emerged as a critical overarching theme, highlighting the potential contribution of urban greening and renewal, public-realm design and maintenance, and policies relating to the availability and concentration of alcohol and other risk environments. The findings emphasised the importance of considering how the physical, social and regulatory environment can reduce opportunities for harm while supporting safer, more inclusive and economically vibrant neighbourhoods.