Oliver: Wants more co-ordination in fight against drugs

'Lack of Leadership' in Anti-Drug Campaign

Doctor Ian Oliver, the Chief Constable of Grampian police, said money and resources for fighting drugs were being wasted by a lack of co-ordination in the fight against drugs.

But the Government's proposed appointment of a new "drugs Czar" would result in greater co-ordination between anti-drugs agencies, added Dr Oliver.

"We have all sorts of people operating in different directions and achieving very little, wasted effort, wasted money and wasted resources," he told the BBC.

"The function of this post in my view, and the title of it really is UK drugs co-ordinator, is to co-ordinate all of those activities which the Government identifies are the most appropriate for dealing with the enormous problem of drugs that we have in this country," he said.

Dr Oliver's comments were welcomed by campaign group Scotland Against Drugs.

"We sympathise with Dr Oliver's comments and we hope that the new Government initiative to appoint a `drugs Czar' will result in all agencies being brought together and Scotland Against Drugs will support that," said their campaign director David Macauley.