Blunkett announces war on crack

Home Secretary David Blunkett today declared war on crack cocaine in Brixton after a summit meeting with senior police officers and MPs.

He held the talks after local Labour MP Kate Hoey claimed the "softly-softly" approach by police to cannabis in the borough of Lambeth had made the area a magnet for drug dealers.

Mr Blunkett called in representatives from the Met and various local agencies, the two local MPs and senior council leaders. Now the Home Office is to coordinate an action plan to tackle the massive surge in crack cocaine use in Lambeth.

The initiative follows warnings that crack is out of control in Britain. Home Office figures show an eight per cent rise in seizures of the drug in 2000 while courts have dealt with a seven per cent rise in crack-related offences.

Mr Blunkett held today's meeting amid increasing concerns about the cannabis project in Brixton, in which people are warned if they are caught in possession of the drug rather than prosecuted. Ms Hoey has campaigned against the pilot policy, claiming it has led to an influx of dealers. However, it is understood that Streatham MP Keith Hill this morning backed local police views that the scheme has been a success, allowing officers to tackle more serious drugs such as crack.

Tony Blair was challenged in the Commons over the Lambeth experiment when Opposition leader Iain Duncan Smith said sharply rising figures for drug offences showed it was not working. Mr Blair claimed there were "differences of opinion" about the pilot and said it should continue. He added: "If sensible people come to the conclusion it is not working, then of course we shall not do it."

A joint statement declared today's meeting was "the beginning of a process started to address the very real problems associated with the impact of crack cocaine in Lambeth and other areas of the country".