My area has similar issues with drug and alcohol related crime, a large population of addicts with no economic opportunities.
Working in coordination with the police is going to prevent any meaningful impact.
Police typically run some kind of protection ratchet for some of the criminals, they'll allow a small group of drug dealers to operate and focus on busting their competitors and targeting low hanging fruit.
But security details and such are really only going after a symptom rather than treating the cause.
I hope it helps, but the work you put into the economy and community building will both have way more impact so I think that's where your focus should be.
Opportunities for people to pull themselves out of poverty, and social safety nets that help people survive without resorting to crime will have a much bigger impact than anything else.