MCLEISH SET TO CREATE A TASKFORCE OF DRUG BUSTERS

A ministerial taskforce will be created to oversee a new multi-million
pound campaign against drugs, it was announced yesterday.

Henry McLeish, the Scottish home affairs minister, has pledged that he
and his fellow ministers will work in a more targeted way to punish
drug dealers and bolster communities.

Opinion polling has shown that Scots regard drugs as one of the
biggest threats facing society, and that there is a general mood in
favour of more focused, immediate action.

"Tackling drugs requires maximum co-ordination across the highest
level of government," said Mr McLeish.

"That is why we need a ministerial taskforce to look at the four
elements of enforcement, education, effective treatment and social
exclusion."

On enforcement, Mr McLeish has consulted chief constables with a view
to doubling the number of drugs detectives in Scotland.

Under the proposals, the Scottish Crime Squad - which already spends
90 per cent of its time tackling drugs, at an annual cost of UKP7
million - would be doubled in size from 100 to 200 officers to create
a new Drug Enforcement Agency.

Drugs squads in the eight individual police forces in Scotland would
also be increased in strength by getting an extra 100 officers. Local
drugs squads would use intelligence gleaned from grassroots policing
to work closely with the DEA.

Mr McLeish has also proposed changing the law to allow the civil
courts to confiscate the assets of suspected drug dealers, a system
already in place in the republic of Ireland and in the US. Money
confiscated from suspected dealers would be used for community
projects and more effective treatment and rehabilitation for drug addicts.

"We need greater investment in drugs work in the wider community - Sam
Galbraith [the Scottish health minister] is doing that but we need
more," added Mr McLeish, speaking at a press conference at Longriggend
remand institution for young offenders.

"Helen Liddell [the Scottish education minister] will be making
further announcements next week on drugs education in every school in
Scotland, starting with a younger age group than is currently the case."

Prisoners at Longriggend - who cannot be named for legal reasons -
said that up to 80 per cent of the youngsters held at the institution
were drug users.

One 18-year-old Glasgow youth charged with murder, whose wrists were
scarred from many previous attempts at self-harm and suicide, told how
he had first taken drugs at the age of eight.

Another 18-year-old told how his spiralling list of charges for theft
and shoplifting were all committed to pay for his heavy use of heroin,
temazepam and valium.

Mr McLeish said that tackling social exclusion was a key way of
protecting communities from drugs, because of the proven links between
deprivation, crime and drugs.

"Virtually every one of the young people here on remand are from
backgrounds that could be described as deprived, disadvantaged or
socially excluded," said Mr McLeish.

"We need to work on better housing, creating jobs and opportunities
for young people and tackling homelessness as part of our long-term
agenda."

Other political parties have also been making policy statements on
drugs in the last week. Annabel Goldie, the deputy leader of the
Scottish Conservatives, has proposed confiscating all the possessions
of convicted drug dealers, and removing the right to bail of anyone
who is suspected of dealing drugs.

She has also called for specialised drugs courts to deal out
fast-track justice.

The Scottish National Party has called for a separate "drugs tsar" for
Scotland, and for the Scottish parliament to set up a standing
committee on drugs.

But Dave Liddell, the director of the Scottish Drugs Forum - an
umbrella agency which represents drugs projects throughout Scotland -
warned that the latest research evidence from England and the United
States showed that the most effective way to reduce drug use and
protect communities was to spend more on treatment and
rehabilitation.

One pound spent on treatment had been shown to save UKP3 in future
costs to the health service and criminal justice system, said Mr Liddell.

Mr McLeish has suggested that delegates from the Scottish parliament
should go on a fact-finding mission to the United States to study
innovative development on tackling drugs in cities like New York,
where drug use has been cut by 50 per cent.