NATIONAL UNIT TO WAGE WAR ON DRUGS

A SCOTTISH drug enforcement agency will be in place by the end of the
year to "wage war" on the relentless rise in drugs crime, Henry
McLeish, the Scottish home affairs minister, announced yesterday.

The Government promised to invest A36 million in training and
equipping 200 extra detectives to catch drug dealers and importers,
doubling the specialist police manpower to combat drugs at a national
level.

Crime figures reveal that drugs offences have more than quadrupled in
the past decade, from 7,000 to 31,500.

"If you are fighting a war, you have to use tactics commensurate with
the enemy and that is what we are doing," Mr McLeish said. "It will be
brutal, tough and uncompromising. The national crime squad is already
taking out loads of very significant dealers in Scotland, but doubling
the number of people on the ground will have an enormous impact on
seizures."

The Drug Enforcement Agency will grow out of a much-expanded Scottish
crime squad, which consists of 100 detectives seconded from Scotland's
eight police forces.

Nearly 80 of the squad's officers concentrate entirely on drugs. The
squad numbers will be doubled from 100 to 200 officers to create the
separate, 100-strong DEA, the first of its type in Britain.

A further 100 detectives will be recruited to boost drug squads in the
eight forces. The costs will come from theA313 million for Scottish
criminal justice allocated by Gordon Brown, the Chancellor, in the
Budget.

England and Wales is considering setting up its own DEA to fight
drugs. Mr McLeish also said that Scotland may introduce drugs courts
similar those in Europe and the United States, providing a faster,
specialised response to people accused of possessing or supplying drugs.

Drugs courts have already been backed by the Scottish National Party,
and by Gaille McCann, the spokeswoman for Mothers Against Drugs, from
Cranhill in Glasgow whereAllan Harper, 13, became Scotland's youngest
heroin victim in January 1998.

Mr McLeish added that the Scottish Office was working on ways for the
courts to confiscate the assets of suspected as well as convicted
drugs dealers.

He called on other political parties to support the proposals. They
responded with some reservations.

Pete Wishart, the SNP's drugs spokesman, said: "I can go along with
and even support the Government's line on enforcement. All we would
say is that treatment and rehabilitation, and tackling the demand for
drugs, must be almost equally important."

Marilyne MacLaren, the Scottish Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on drugs,
warned of the danger of spending too much on enforcement, which she
said only scratched the surface of Scotland's problems with drugs.

"We must invest on the ground," Ms MacLaren said. "We have drugs
agencies who are doing a marvellous job in our communities but are now
scrabbling for money and could do a darn sight more if they had the
funds - agencies like Crew 2000. "

Annabel Goldie, the Scottish Conservatives' spokeswoman on drugs,
said: "Any initiative by the Government to deal with this evil is
welcome, but unless it is part of a national strategy far more
coherent and far more visible than is currently the case, it is merely
taking a piecemeal approach which is not giving the sense of national
vision and hope which the peopleof Scotland currently need, and which
it is overdue to provide."

Dave Liddell, the director of the Scottish Drugs Forum, said that the
Government was clearly under pressure to be seen to take tough action
on drugs.

"If an extra A36 million is to be spent on enforcement this should be
matched by an equivalent or greater amount on treatment and care
services to ensure that there are not considerable knock-on costs in
other parts of the criminal justice system - in particular, prison
costs," said Mr Liddell.

The 1998 recorded crime figures for Scotland, published yesterday,
showed that crime rose by 3 per cent, reversing the downward trend of
the past seven years.

Serious sexual crime, violent crime and speeding offences increased in
1998. Mr McLeish promised tougher action on all three types of crime.

The 3 per cent increase in crimes of dishonesty - notably
housebreaking and shoplifting - could not be disentangled from
Scotland's growing drugs problem, he said, as addicts stole to pay for
their habits.

The Scottish Office is reconsidering its decision not to create a
crime of harassment, unlike England and Wales which has had numerous
prosecutions under its anti-harassment laws.

The Government previously argued that the common law offence of breach
of the peace was perfectly adequate to prosecute such offences.

Women's groups say that in practice the Scottish courts are failing to
protect the victims of stalkers.

"In view of what's happening, I want a consultation to take place in
Scotland with a view to strengthening the law on harassment," Mr
McLeish said.

Roy Cameron, the secretary of the Association of Chief Police Officers
in Scotland, said: "The association welcomes the continuing thrust in
the attack against crime and looks forward to an early meeting with
the minister to discuss the proposals."