GIVE HEROIN TO ADDICTS, SAYS POLICE CHIEF

Prescribing Drug on NHS 'Would Reduce Crime'

Trials Underway at Clinics in London and North-East

A top police officer called yesterday for heroin to be prescribed to
addicts to cut the link between drugs and crime. Howard Roberts,
deputy chief constable of Nottinghamshire police, said that making
the class A drug available under supervision would save money in the long run.

He cited figures showing addicts each commit on average 432 offences
a year, "from burglary to robbery, to sometimes murder, to get the
money to buy drugs". On average, each addict steals at least
UKP45,000 worth of property a year.

Prescribing heroin by contrast would cost UKP12,000 a year per person.

"Therefore the logic is clear, I suggest, that we take highly
addicted offenders out of committing crime to feed their addiction,
into closely supervised treatment programmes that, as part of the
programme, can prescribe diamorphine."

It emerged last night that the NHS is conducting trials backed by the
Home Office in giving addicts heroin to deter them from stealing to
feed a habit. A Home Office spokeswoman confirmed that doctors at two
clinics - one in London, one in the north-east - prescribe heroin for
"clinical need"; a third was being considered, but the trials were
"at a very early stage". Results would be "closely assessed" by the
relevant authorities, she added.

Mr Roberts' intervention came ahead of the arrival in Britain this
weekend of a US former undercover detective who is spearheading a
movement to end drug prohibition. More than 60 British officers,
including two former chief constables, have joined Jack Cole's Law
Enforcement Against Prohibition (Leap). He spent 26 years with the
police in New Jersey. "Prohibition doesn't work, it's never worked,"
said Mr Cole, who will be addressing meetings of police officers and
MPs during his visit. "Leap wants to end drug prohibition just as we
ended alcohol prohibition in 1933. When we ended that nasty law, we
put Al Capone out of business overnight - and we can do the same to
the drug lords and terrorists who make over $500bn a year selling
illegal drugs around the world."

Tom Lloyd, a former chief constable of Cambridgeshire, told the
Guardian: "It is clearly right that police officers should enforce
the laws passed by parliament, but they also have considerable
knowledge of how inefficient and counterproductive that can be in the
fight against the illegal drugs market.

"There is a growing realisation at quite senior detective level that
we have to think about handling this differently."

Others backing Leap include a former Gwent chief constable, Francis
Wilkinson, and a former Metropolitan police detective chief
superintendent, Eddie Ellison.

Separately, the government's drugs adviser, David Nutt, said that
ecstasy and LSD, which are believed to be used by half a million
young people every week, should be downgraded from class A.