PETER Pike has called on the home secretary, neighbouring MP Jack Straw, to fight crime by taking on the illegal drugs trade.

The Burnley MP used a House of Commons debate to highlight the true size of the drugs problem.

He told Mr Straw: "The fear of crime and of anti-social behaviour is, regrettably, one of the worst problems in this country in the 1990s.

"A large proportion of crime is drug related.

And Mr Pike asked: "How can we find out the true percentage of crimes which are drug related? What steps can we take to tackle the root causes and stop wide misuse of drugs, which is growing throughout the country?"

The minister, who is MP for Blackburn, replied: "Drugs lie behind a large amount of crime - not just drug crime specifically, but burglary and theft."

He said the government had received an 'alarming' preliminary report on the link between drug misuse and crime, and went on to announce his plans to introduce a co-ordinated anti-drugs policy.

"A UK drug director will shortly be appointed," he said, adding: "A drug treatment and testing order should be available to the courts as a community punishment to take account and make use of mandatory drug testing."

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