FIGURES UNDERMINE STRAW'S DRUGS CASE

The claim about the scale of heroin abuse made by Jack Straw yesterday to
justify introduction of mandatory drug testing of all those arrested by the
police is contradicted by his own department's published research.

Mr Straw told the Labour conference that "in some of our cities half of
those arrested test positive for heroin".

The latest published home office research contradicts this, saying that on
average 18% were found to have heroin in their bloodstream.

The recent study based on a programme of voluntary urine samples of those
arrested in five cities over two years showed the highest results in
Manchester at 32% testing positive for heroin/opiates. The next highest were
20% in London and Cambridge.

The home secretary failed to mention that the research found that the most
common drugs abused by those arrrested are not heroin but cannabis and alcohol.

He made the claim during his conference speech in which he announced that
5,000 extra police officers are to be recruited, new measures introduced to
ensure the stricter enforcement of probation and other community sentences,
and a further pounds 50m spent on rescuing a stalled new police digital
radio communications network.

Mr Straw also promised to bring in "new and stronger race relations laws as
soon as possible." He attacked racism as an absurd poison saying it was a
form of madness: "Maybe we have all been made to allow a society where such
things matter. One day they will," he said and went on to promise that in 10
years' time it would be no more unusual to see a black or Asian police
officer than it was to see a black or Asian doctor or nurse now.

He confirmed that a new scheme to equip the homes of 150,000 of the least
well-off pensioners with free locks and bolts is to go ahead from next
April. All pensioner homes who qualify for the home insulation scheme will
also benefit from the extra security devices.

About 300,000 of the homes of the least well-off pensioners are to have a
"beat the burglar" risk assessment to judge whethe they should be given the
extra security.

But the most controverisal law and order announcement has been the mandatory
drug testing of all those arrested by the police and a change in the law to
deny bail those testing positive for heroin and cocaine. The measure was
outlined by Tony Blair last Sunday but no further details of how it will
work have been forthcoming.

Mr Straw justified its introduction saying that billions of pounds worth of
possessions were stolen each year to feed criminals' heroin and cocaine habits.

"Identifying those who are addicted and reducing crime go hand in hand.
That's why we are going to extend drugs testing," he said. But while he
justified the decision by claiming that half of those arrested by some city
police forces were on heroin, he failed to point out the contribution of
cannabis and alcohol.

When challenged by the Guardian that the home office report, Drug Testing
Arrestees, published in April 1998 did not show half of them testing
positive for heroin, a spokesman for the home secretary said they were
relying on "on more recent unpublished research."

The plans to ensure stricter enforcment of community punishments such as
probation and community service orders will mean that in future convicted
criminals will be allowed just one warning if they miss their appointments
with their probation officer.

New nationals standards are to be introduced in April to ensure that those
who fail to comply after one warning are taken back to court, where they may
receive a prison sentence.

A survey by the Association of Chief Officers of Probation published this
week showed nothing was currently done to punish half the offenders who
repeateadlly failed to show up for three or more appointments.

The home secretary also told told the conference that pounds 13m is to be
spent on a new "youth inclusion programme" which will be designed to prevent
children between 13 and 16 being drawn into a life of crime. The scheme will
identify 40 to 50 teenagers in 70 high crime areas and will seek to interest
them in leisure pursuits.