By Graeme Strachan

TAYSIDE’S MOST senior police officer last night said he hadn’t given up hope of staging a pilot scheme in the region to prescribe heroin to drug addicts—despite a lack of encouragement from the Scottish Government.

Chief Constable John Vine reiterated his belief that the measure be investigated after community safety minister Fergus Ewing firmly rejecting prescribing hard drugs to users.

Mr Ewing said the SNP would instead concentrate on stopping children getting involved in drugs, education and moving addicts from the heroin substitute methadone to rehabilitation so as to “come off drugs.”

Mr Vine remains convinced prescribing heroin to “chaotic” users could help to reduce the thefts and crimes committed to fund the habit.

“Fergus Ewing is saying he’s not prepared to run a trial—well that’s fine,” said Mr Vine. “It’s understandable because of the emotion this sort of debate evokes.

“But if that changes in future and they are looking for a chief constable and a police force to co-operate in a pilot, I would like this force to be a pilot area for any initiative.

“There has been a 37% rise in drug deaths so we need to have a debate, and I’ll continue to have dialogue with politicians and the health authorities to provide a solution.

“I don’t know whether it (prescribing heroin) will work but there are examples where it has been a success. If we don’t try, then we’ll never know.”

He believes such proposals may not be socially acceptable but something needed to be done rather than imprisoning people only for them to get out and immediately start re-offending.

Mr Vine said it had been shown in other European countries that prescribing heroin led to a reduction in petty crime, as addicts did not steal to feed their habit.

The force’s annual report shows heroin seizures in Tayside have tripled.

Mr Vine said if demand for drugs was reduced, it would help police enforce the law.

“If we do not reduce demand there will always be people coming in with more to supply.

“I don’t want to decry any of the jobs that are being done in the drugs field,” he said.

“People in the field are doing a magnificent job—but even though we’re addressing the demand, we’ve still got a problem.

“Unfortunately, people who are addicted to drugs often commit crimes for money to buy these drugs.”

Mr Vine said drug-related crime and robberies were a problem in Tayside.

Analysis by the force suggests most robberies were committed by people needing money to buy heroin and other illegal drugs.

“I believe we are having an impact but we also must look at ways to stem demand.”

The number of drug deaths in Scotland hit a record high of 421 in 2006.

Earlier this week, it was revealed more than 42,000 drug crimes were recorded by the police—the second highest figure on record.

Mr Ewing estimated Scotland has around 52,000 problematic drug users, and some 10,000-19,000 children live in households where at least one adult is a problematic drug user.

“We want to get more people off drugs, not to find new ways of providing more drugs or new drugs for people,” he said.