ARMED POLICE TO BEAT DRUG GANGS

Police from three of Wales' forces have said they will arm officers in
order to fight the menace of drug-related crime.

Officers from Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed-Powys foces met on Thursday
to promote Operation Tarian - which means shield in Welsh - an
initiative to stop gangs from Birmingham and Bristol flooding the
market with cheap, hard drugs.

They are working together to stop groups of organised crime gangs from
establishing themselves in the region.

Evidence has already been gathered to show that gangs - particularly
Jamaican groups, so-called Yardies - are already operating in a number
of areas.

The three forces have applied for =A32.7m of funding from the Home
Office and Welsh Assembly to implement a strategy to stop the groups.

Police fear the gangs - already operating in Bristol and Birmingham -
are seeking new heroin and cocaine markets in south Wales.

They are described by police as "violent criminals who target the
young and vulnerable".

They rule by fear and their trademarks include drive-by shootings,
public executions, and enslavement of prostitutes.

South Wales Assistant Chief Constable David Francis warned drugs gangs
about the use of armed weapons.

"Armed officers will be used - there will be no holding
back.

"We want to say to them 'you will not succeed with your gun culture in
south Wales'," he said.

Confiscated

Amounts of class A drugs being recovered by the three forces have
increased dramatically over the past few months.

Police have seized as much heroin in the past four months as
confiscated in the whole of 2000.

The amount was twice that seized in 1999.

Crack cocaine seizures over the four-month period equalled that seized
in 1999 and 2000 put together.

Increases

The joint approach to drugs-busting comes at a time when the number
drug users registered by pharmacies increased by 14% in the past six
months.

In Merthyr Tydfil, the number increased by 100%, and while in Rhondda
Cynon Taff there was a 47% rise.

Police said deprived and poor communities were most at threat from the
gangs.

They uncovered evidence to show that despite the cost of heroin rising
above the UK average in south Wales, cocaine, crack cocaine, LSD and
ecstasy remained below the typical cost.

The partnership between the three forces in an effort to prevent the
spread of drug gangs in the area is being monitored by other forces
across the country.

As part of the preventative strategy, the three forces have launched
the 'Rat on a Rat' campaign - where people are asked to ring the free
Crimestoppers number to report information on drug dealers operating
in their area.

They have also called for more treatment to be made available to drug
users and for children as young as three to be educated in the dangers
of drug use.