§ Mr. Evennettasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement about the measures he is taking on enforcement action against drug trafficking.
§ Mr. BrittanI have today announced a number of measures to strengthen police effort against drug trafficking and its co-ordination with customs. These measures accord with the key proposals submitted to me by the Association of Chief Police Officers earlier this month and I am acting immediately on them.
First, regional crime squads in England and Wales will be strengthened by the addition of dedicated drugs "wings". I am ready to consider any appropriate requests for the necessary adjustments in establishments and I have in mind an increase of more than 200 officers. The addition of dedicated drugs wings to RCSs will increase very substantially the capacity of the police to catch major drug trafficking groups. In London, the Commissioner has agreed to make a substantial increase in the strength of the Metropolitan police central drugs squad.
Secondly, there is to be a new national drugs intelligence unit, superseding the present central drugs intelligence unit. The new NDIU will be staffed by both the police and customs services and have an enhanced intelligence-gathering and analytical capability sharing common data in place of the present divided system. The new NDIU will provide both services with the intelligence capacity needed to counter today's sophisticated drug trafficking groups.
Thirdly, a new senior post of national drugs co-ordinator is being created in New Scotland Yard to head the new NDIU and co-ordinate drugs intelligence with the operations of regional crime squads. This will enable a greater concerted and co-ordinated attack to be mounted on drug traffickers. The first holder of this new post will be Mr. Colin Hewett, at present deputy assistant commissioner in charge of the Metropolitan police special branch and anti-terrorist squad.
Fourthly, I am establishing a top level steering group, on which both police and customs will be represented, to keep the working of the new arrangements and the effectiveness of liaison between police and customs under review and to give me periodic assessments of the nature and extent of the drugs threat.
I believe that the initiatives which I am announcing today represent a most significant advance in police operations against drug offences. They build on the proven 229W work of the RCSs and the already close and effective cooperation between police and Her Majesty's customs and will ensure that both services are better placed than ever before to take forward the fight against drug traffickers.