DRUGS Tsar Keith Hellawell last night praised efforts in County Durham to reduce drug-related crime.

He said that early signs showed the county was achieving results above and beyond national expectations.

Mr Hellawell's comments came on the day that Durham Constabulary revealed 140 people had taken advantage of a drug arrest referral scheme since its launch ten weeks ago.

He said: "These sorts of numbers are at very high levels compared with others I have seen, which is a great credit to the agencies involved in Durham.

"The higher the take-up rate on drug arrest referral schemes, the more success we are going to have."

The drug arrest referral scheme was derived, with the help of £258,000 funding, from a pioneering project launched in May, 1997.

The previous referral programme offered help to those arrested for drug-related crimes such as possession with intent to supply. Under the new scheme, anyone arrested and charged can be referred for drug rehabilitation.

It forms one strand of a three-pronged initiative to reduce drug-related crime.

A national strategy undergoing implementation will provide magistrates with the power to enforce drug treatment and testing orders, forcing addicts to stay clean, from October 1. This will be backed by drug treatment for prison inmates.

The Government has committed £140m to tackle the problem.

Sergeant Alan Troman, of Durham Police, believes the scheme, although still in its infancy, will have a positive outcome.

"The fact these people are willing to be engaged by drug workers with their problems is acknowledging they need help," he said.

"There is no incentive in terms of immunity from prosecution. There are no inducements, there is nothing offered other than the opportunity to be referred into suitable treatment."

Drug treatment and testing orders will become one of the most powerful supervision weapons in magistrates' armoury.

Criminals placed under such an order will be monitored five days a week to ensure they remain drug-free and will re-appear before magistrates each month for the duration of an order.

Senior probation officer Mike Creedon said: "There is no other order that requires that level of reporting back.

"If we can take the most problematic criminals out and deal with them it will leave other agencies free to deal with the less difficult people."