POLICE AUTHORITY BACKS CALL TO LEGALISE DRUGS

CONTROVERSIAL police chief Richard Brunstrom's calls to legalise all
drugs and make heroin available on the NHS were yesterday backed by
his force's governing body.

Members of the North Wales Police Authority approved plans to pass a
paper - written by Mr Brunstrom calling for the liberalisation of
drugs laws - to the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith.

But the early indications were that the police chief's radical ideas
would be given short shrift in London. In answer to a question from
North Wales Tory MP David Jones, Home Office minister Vernon Coaker
said yesterday rigorous enforcement of drugs laws is needed.

And the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo) suggested Mr
Brunstrom's ideas were a "counsel of despair" that would "ruin even
more lives and neighbourhoods".

But while fellow police officers and campaigners suggested Mr
Brunstrom's plans would exacerbate the harm drugs do to society Welsh
Liberal Democrat leader Mike German welcomed the chief's
intervention.

The chief constable wants a review of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971
with the possible replacement of a Misuse of Substances Act regulating
all drugs including nicotine and alcohol based on a new hierarchy of
harm.

He said such a major overhaul of the UK's drugs laws offered a
"counsel of hope".

During his 55-minute presentation to his police authority, Mr
Brunstrom, who was appointed in 2000, claimed current policy on drugs
was "irrational, illogical, immoral and hypocritical - most
importantly it doesn't work".

Acpo president Ken Jones issued a statement saying Mr Brunstrom's
comments were "his personal views, to which he is entitled".

Mr Jones said, "Acpo does not agree with the repeal of the Misuse of
Drugs Act 1971 or the legalisation of drugs - this is arguably a
counsel of despair.

"The reduction of harm caused by drugs to our neighbourhoods is a
priority for chief officers across the UK.

"According to the Drug Harm Index it has been reducing since
2001.

"This is a complex pernicious global problem. Moving to total
legalisation would, in our view, greatly exacerbate the harm to people
in this country, not reduce it.

"It simply does not make sense to legitimise dangerous narcotic
substances which would then have the potential to ruin even more lives
and our neighbourhoods."

Mr Brunstrom - notorious for his support for speed cameras and tough
stance against speeding motorists - used information available on the
Downing Street website to outline the scale of Britain's drug problem.

He said that while three million people take illegal drugs in the UK
every year, 2.5 million are addicted to alcohol and 9.5 million to
nicotine.

He cited the authorities' inability to stop drugs flooding the country
as one reason that laws and regulations must change.

Mr Brunstrom said, "This is a real counsel of despair if one chooses
to look at the evidence.

"Seizures of drugs in the UK are less than 1%. In 2003 the UK stopped
10% of heroin coming in and only 15% of cocaine."

He said that because drugs are cheaper than ever, Britain has reached
saturation point with the number of addicts. He said heroin and
cocaine addicts accounted for 56% of all crime, with alcoholrelated
offending costing UKP12bn annually.

Clwyd West MP Mr Jones said the authority's decision to back the chief
constable was "disappointing" and a surrender.

He suggested it's not the first time the authority, which consists of
nine local councillors, three magistrates and five independents, has
limply fallen into line with the police chief.

Mr Jones, said, "The police authority's decision is disappointing, but
not surprising. The chief constable seems always to get his way with
the authority, most recently in the case of the decision to set up a
mounted unit.

"I am sure that the people of North Wales will feel very badly let
down by this decision. It amounts to raising a white flag on the drugs
issue."

The MP suggested it is now time to replace authorities with elected
police commissioners, who would better reflect public concerns.

Mr Brunstrom, a father who insists he has never taken drugs and has
only been drunk once, on passing his sergeant's exams, said rather
than locking criminals up they should be treated with dignity.

He said, "If you treated them as victims and patients as well as
criminals, there's a wonderful opportunity to get them under control
and change their behaviour, not just to punish them but to change
their behaviour.

"And the police will still be in the front line."

He said there was evidence that treatment worked. Mr Brunstrom said
drug use caused 85% of shoplifting and 80% of house burglaries.

He added that he took his duties under current law "seriously". The
chief constable said he regarded those who managed drug production as
evil.

"What better than to cut their profits, put them out of business? We
have handed over the production, control and supply of the entire
thing to active criminals. How can that possibly be a good outcome of
government policy?"

Mr German called for a "full and frank debate on substance misuse
policy reform".

He said, "[The Lib-Dem] conference backed Richard Brunstrom's raising
of these issues. Labour are happy to indulge in knee-jerk name-calling
that undermines the seriousness of the situation."

But Rhondda-based anti-drugs campaigner Jeff Gregory said Mr Brunstrom
should be dismissed for calling for all drugs to be legalised.

Mr Gregory, who wants to see drugs testing in schools, said, "We
should be asking him to resign because what he's saying is
unbelievable.

"He should come and see the devastation drugs have caused in the
Rhondda."

Mr Brunstrom's paper was prepared as a response to a national Home
Office consultation on drugs reform.

A similar response will be sent to the Welsh Assembly, who are also
carrying out a consultation.