Dublin Nights Help Zone Records 2,000 Engagements in 6 Months

Dublin City Council has published the impact summary from the 6 month pilot of the Dublin Nights Help Zone, known publicly as ‘The Nee Naw’, delivered by Dublin City Council and funded by the Department of Justice.

Operating in Dublin city centre, primarily on Camden Street every Friday and Saturday night from July to December, the Help Zone provided a visible late-night welfare and medical support service, offering first response medical care, welfare support, de-escalation and public reassurance from 10pm to 4am.

During the pilot phase the service recorded approximately 2,000 engagements with members of the public. Recorded engagements totalled 1,733, with additional incidental contact bringing the operational estimate to around 2,000 interactions.

Headline figures from the pilot include:

• 141 medical interventions
• 259 welfare supports
• 244 general help interactions, including directions, lost items and phone charging
• 18 escalations to emergency services
• 1,071 passerby engagements

Across the pilot period, the majority of incidents were resolved on site, with only 18 cases requiring escalation to emergency services.

Chief Executive of Dublin City Council, Richard Shakespeare, said, “This pilot demonstrates how coordinated night-time planning can improve safety outcomes and reduce pressure on statutory services.”

Assistant Commissioner Jonathan Roberts, Dublin Metropolitan Region, said, "The Dublin Nights Help Zone has provided a visible and practical support presence in the city centre. By resolving lower-level medical and welfare issues on the ground, it has helped reduce demand on frontline resources.”

The Dublin Nights Help Zone operates through a multidisciplinary team including medic, security and welfare personnel, working in coordination with An Garda Síochána and Dublin Fire Brigade.

Ray O’Donoghue, Night-Time Economy Advisor for Dublin City, said, “The Help Zone is a practical, visible service that helps people on their nights out, especially when they are feeling unwell, vulnerable or just need a bit of support. At the same time, it reduces pressure on emergency services by resolving most situations on site. The pilot shows that relatively modest, well targeted action can make a real difference to how the city manages activity after dark. We are now working on plans to run the service on a more permanent footing.” 

A link to the full impact report is available here: Dublin Nights Help Zone - Impact Report

For further information about the Night Time Economy Initiatives please see: NTE Initiatives - Dublin.ie

ENDS