It is well understood now that much crime is directly connected to drugs. Addicts need far more money to finance their habit than they can acquire through legitimate means. The bigger the habit, the deeper the addict's involvement in crime is likely to be. Therefore, help given to those who are most heavily into drugs abuse should, if it is successful, result in a substantial cut in crime.

That is the premise on which the Merlin project was set up. The scheme, run jointly by the police and the probation service in Bradford, offers support right through the criminal justice system and afterwards to convicted users who otherwise would leave prison only to return immediately to their old lifestyle.

Significant success is being reported for the project, with the number of crimes by heavy users covered by the scheme being said to have fallen since it was begun in 1997. Those running it are now seeking extra resources to enable them to do more.

If the project is indeed as successful as the early claims being made for it, it will be well worth a substantial injection of funds. However high the cost of getting users off drugs, it surely is less than the cost of having them remain addicted and following a life of crime.

But the project remains at the experimental stage. Unfortunately, too many users who come off drugs fail to stay off drugs. The present encouraging early indications surely need to be confirmed in the longer term before Merlin can be acclaimed as the success that everyone hopes it will be.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.