AN innovative project to reduce drug-related crime has been launched in St Helens.

The U-Turn Project encourages problem drug users who are arrested to take up appropriate treatment or other effective programmes of help.

It will operate throughout Merseyside and is a partnership involving police, drug referral workers and treatment and service providers.

Such schemes are being promoted by the Government as an effective means of tackling crime by reducing repeat offending. Referral workers, based in special custody suites, will advise offenders about treatment options and services available to them in a bid to halt their life of crime.

Councillor Ken Pinder, St Helens Council Executive Member for Crime and Disorder, said: "Pilot arrest referral schemes in other areas have resulted in significant reductions in drug misuse among offenders and consequent reductions in the amount spent on illegal drugs and offending behaviour. We hope that a co-ordinated and responsive arrest referral scheme will be equally successful in St Helens." Superintendent Richard Williams at St Helens police, added: "This project should make St Helens a safer place by tackling one of the main causes of crime in our area. It is estimated that 60 per cent of offenders are drug users so, by providing the right help and treatment to these individuals, we have the power to change not only their lives, but those of all residents of St Helens."

The Merseyside U-Turn project will ensure that, for the first time, drugs workers will be available in every custody suite in the region. Offenders will then be tracked through the system to ensure they take up available treatment.

The arrest referral scheme has secured more than £1million from the Government's Home Office Joint Finance Initiative and has the support of Merseyside Health Action Zone, the Merseyside Drugs Action Teams (DATs), the Home Office Drugs Prevention Advisory Service, Merseyside Police and the Safer Merseyside Partnership. The service will be delivered by the Merseyside Drugs Council and Arch Initiatives and will be overseen by a co-ordinating group.