Highly addictive crack cocaine is now the biggest drugs threat in Cumbria, says the county's top policeman.

Chief constable Michael Baxter told Kendal Police Community Liaison Forum that people could become addicted to the drug a mixture of cocaine and baking soda which forms crystals in less than a week. He said he knew an ex-police officer who had become addicted to crack at a weekend party.

Mr Baxter said when he became chief constable 17 months ago there was no indication of crack in the county, but there was now evidence it had reached south Cumbria. "We are seen by some people as a very fresh and fertile market place for crack and crack cocaine," he said.

Mr Baxter said research showed 50 per cent of other drug users, particularly heroin, would go on to use cocaine and crack cocaine, and that would push crime rates up by 25 per cent.

He said police had to tackle crack as it came into the county, but he was not prepared to say how many officers were targeted against the drug, or give operational details, because that would give away information to the dealers who wanted to operate in Cumbria.

Mr Baxter said police had scored "some outstanding success" helped by people coming forward with information. He added: "Drugs are an issue but I wouldn't want to alarm you too much."

Chief inspector Martin Connolly, of Kendal police, told the meeting that significant problems with violence linked to crack were being experienced in Lancaster, 20 miles down the road.

"Within Cumbria the front line for us is Barrow," he said.

"The word we've got on the street from our sources and informants is police are on top of it in Barrow. There's fear among the dealers of the police."

Mr Connolly vowed police would do everything they could to keep crack out of Cumbria, and asked anybody with information or suspicions to contact them.

Meanwhile, the chief constable's vision for community policing across the county was given a warm welcome by forum members.

Mr Baxter explained that 300 extra officers would be recruited in Cumbria over the next four years, and every district council ward would have its own dedicated constable, or more in areas of particular deprivation or high crime. They would be grouped into local policing teams, led by an inspector, and each team would have its own base, possibly at schools or libraries in towns were there was no police station.

Mr Baxter said he strongly believed in visible and accessible policing in the heart of communities, and he knew it was what residents wanted too. He said he had recently spoken to the first batch of recruits, who would be hitting the streets around Christmas.

Kirkby Lonsdale's district councillor Barclay Stainton welcomed the strategy, and said he wished Mr Baxter had been in post when Kirkby's police station was closed.

Coun Stainton said community policing worked well in the town, with police setting up a Licensed Victuallers' Association, which had "got a lot of rabble out of the pubs". However, people were sorry to have lost the police station, as the "little blue light" outside had given people a sense of security.

Mr Baxter said it was unfortunate the "family silver" had gone, but he had no criticism of his predecessors, and police authorities had experienced hard times five years ago when their budgets were being "smashed".

He said they had faced a choice between closing buildings or losing police officers.

April 25, 2003 11:00