Alarm over violent crack addicts

The scale of London's growing crack cocaine problem is laid bare today as new evidence shows thousands of offenders are spending up to £400 a day feeding their habit.

They commit an average of six crimes a week, but Britain's first conference on the drug will hear today that efforts to get addicts into treatment are failing.

Drugs workers based in London police stations have seen almost 5,000 criminal suspects who admitted using crack in the 30 days before they were arrested, Scotland Yard figures show.

But while more than 3,000 crack users were referred to specialist drugs agencies between April 2000 and January this year, it is believed that only one in four turned up for treatment.

The home affairs select committee has called for more treatment places for crack users, while ministers-have warned that the drug is doing "massive damage" to inner-city areas and have asked a panel of experts to report on the shortcomings of treatment by the end of the year.

Today's conference in Birmingham, organised by treatment provider Cranstoun Drug Services, will be left in no doubt about the scale of the task.

A study of 10 London boroughs by the National Association of Probation Officers shows that crack users are typically spending as much on drugs in a day as heroin addicts do in a week.

Whereas heroin users tend to commit shoplifting and burglary, crack users are more likely to commit violent, high-risk robbery. Although there is evidence that some will respond to treatment, the study shows crack users are far more likely than heroin users to lapse back into drug abuse.

That is mainly because there is no methadone-style substitute for the drug, which is not physically addictive but inspires powerful psychological cravings.

Harry Fletcher, general secretary of NAPO, will tell today's conference: "Crack users were described as more ruthless, more compulsive, and a high level of support, coercion and intervention was needed.

"Addicts need massive amounts of money every day so they are taking risks with robberies."

Last October two mothers were bludgeoned to death in a snooker hall by a crack addict who stole £300 for drugs, then killed himself when he realised what he had done.

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