OVER 30% OF BRITONS ARRESTED ARE DRUG ABUSERS

More than 30% of people arrested have a heroin or crack habit, according to
Home Office research which reveals the extent to which drug addiction is
fuelling the crime rate.

Official research based on interviews with 9,214 people identified as
problem drug users arrested in the last quarter of 2000 also shows that
they were spending an average of UKP 300 a week on their habit.

The findings also show that while nearly two thirds of those interviewed
say that their main income source was from social security benefits, some
40% also said they had significant income from shoplifting. Only one in
five of those interviewed had any form of legitimate paid work.

The Home Office figures are based on data from the first three months of
the "arrest referral scheme" under which problem users who are brought in
by the police are referred to drug treatment courses. The figures show that
current drug treatment programmes are not reaching at least half of the
drug misusers who are involved in crime.

The results show 45% had never received any kind of drug treatment before
their arrest.

The research confirms that drug abuse is one of the biggest drivers of
crime in Britain. More than half of the problem users arrested admitted to
using heroin in the previous 30 days, 35% had used cannabis, 28% alcohol
and 20% crack cocaine. Previous research shows that heroin and crack
cocaine abusers account for 30% of all people arrested. The overwhelming
majority arrested are male (84%), white (89%) and of an average age of 27.

They were mostly arrested for petty property crimes involved in raising
money to fuel their habits. Some 24% had been arrested for shoplifting, 16%
for selling or possessing drugs, 10% for burglary and 9% for other forms of
theft. Some 84% had convictions for previous offences.

Women were more likely to have been arrested for shoplifting and men for
burglary.

Women who were arrested spend more on the drug habit - UKP 316 a week on
average - than men who spend UKP 252 a week. The researchers suggest that
the difference may be accounted for by the fact that women were more likely
to report use of the more expensive heroin, methadone and crack cocaine
while men said they were using amphetamines, ecstasy, cannabis and alcohol.

The arrest referral schemes from which the official data was drawn were set
up in April last year and 330 workers are operating in police custody
suites to identify problem drug users as they are arrested and to refer
them for treatment.