Pubdate: 27 Sep, 1999
Source: Times, The (UK)
Copyright: 1999 Times Newspapers Ltd
Contact:  http://www.the-times.co.uk/
Author: Philip Webster, Political Editor

BLAIR VOWS TO TACKLE DRUG CRIME

Stringent new measures to tackle the drugs menace, under which all people 
arrested for criminal offences will face mandatory drug testing, were 
promised yesterday by Tony Blair. In a clear admission that the Government 
has failed to meet voters' concerns on crime, Mr Blair put drugs and law 
and order at the heart of his priorities for the remainder of new Labour's 
first term in Government.

The issue had been ducked for too long, he declared, as Labour's centenary 
conference opened in Bournemouth.

Mr Blair said that suspects found to be cocaine or heroin users would be 
refused bail in virtually all circumstances to stop them committing further 
offences. And offenders on probation would be subjected to random drug tests.

The moves come after new evidence reached the Government of the link 
between drugs and other crime. Mr Blair said all governments had failed to 
wake up to the scale of the crisis.

The measures will be included in a new Crime and Justice Bill which Mr 
Blair said would be the centrepiece of the Queen's Speech opening the new 
session of Parliament in November.

A Home Office study of five cities found that 61 per cent of all people 
arrested had drugs in their system. Cannabis was the most common drug but 
18 per cent tested positive for opiates and heroin and 10 per cent for 
cocaine and crack.

Nearly half of those arrested said their habit was connected to the crime 
they were accused of committing, and said they spent at least a third of 
the proceeds of crime on drugs.

Mr Blair, in a pre-conference interview with BBC's Breakfast with Frost, 
declared that he, like other people, was "petrified" about drugs because of 
worries about his own children. "I'm petrified about drugs and in respect 
of my own children and other people's children drugs will be a main feature 
of the new Bill."

"We will be looking at some of the key issues that we've ducked, all 
governments for far too long." Mr Blair will also announce today that 
criminals will be forced to undergo compulsory DNA tests. The results will 
be used to build a comprehensive computer database of all known offenders, 
enabling their unique "genetic fingerprints" to be easily identified from 
forensic evidence found at crime scenes.

Mr Blair regards the setting up of a DNA library as "a real weapon in the 
war against crime".

"The potential importance of DNA technology is only just beginning to be 
understood," he said.

The Prime Minister unveiled one of the keynote announcements of his 
conference speech tomorrow as he tried to stamp out weekend reports that he 
expected to serve three terms, and in so doing had killed off the 
leadership ambitions of Gordon Brown.

He denied the reports and, anxious to avoid any suggestions of a rift with 
the Chancellor, delivered warm praise for Mr Brown, even suggesting that he 
had all the qualities to be a "great Prime Minister".

As Labour began its first conference in Bournemouth since Neil Kinnock's 
antiMilitant speech in 1985, there were further signs of growing government 
tension over the euro. Peter Mandelson joined Robin Cook in giving warning 
of the financial and diplomatic penalties to Britain of staying out of the 
single currency for too long.

At the same time, however, Mr Brown insisted that any decision on the euro 
would be an economic one, in spite of Mr Cook's warnings of the political 
pitfalls.

Inside the conference hall Mr Blair faces trouble this week from the 
unions. He is at risk of defeat when they oppose what they see as his move 
to water down the European Union working time directive on the 48-hour 
week, and to break the Post Office monopoly on delivering letters costing 
less than one pound in postage. 
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