Help us fight crack war, says minister
Communities throughout Britain were today urged to help fight the spread of crack cocaine, which the Government warns is spiralling out of control.
It says all parts of the country are at risk from the growing use of the Class A drug and the crime and violence that is associated with it.
The warning came as ministers and top police officers began a two-day national conference in Birmingham on the effect of the drug and the latest thinking on tackling the problem.
Drugs Minister Bob Ainsworth will ask people to help people fight it by reporting dealers to the police. He will also urge communities to help educate young people about the dangers of addiction.
Crack has been available in the UK for more than a decade, and senior police officers-believe the country is experiencing the same problems faced by America a decade ago.
Many crack addicts commit crime to feed a habit which can cost several hundred pounds a day.
Latest figures indicate that use of crack cocaine is particularly on the increase among black communities and 16 to 24-year-olds.
Meanwhile, the price of the drug is falling, suggesting that supply is plentiful - even though record amounts have been seized.
Mr Ainsworth will tell delegates that crack poses a bigger danger than many other drugs because it has more links with crime than ecstasy and more connections with violence than heroin, BBC News Online reported.
Drug treatment workers say there is a shortage of treatment places for crack addicts.
Even with substantial investment in new schemes, experts say it would take several years to bring the problem under control.
In April, the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset Police, Steve Pilkington, warned of a crime epidemic fuelled by crack cocaine. He said drugs were directly responsible for soaring crime figures in Bristol.
Other main players at the event are Mayor Ken Livingstone's equality and policing adviser Lee Jasper and Commander Alan Brown, head of the Metropolitan Police's Operation Trident, which targets black-on-black gun crime.
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