WITHOUT a shadow of doubt, the menace of drugs lies behind a great many crimes.

Individuals resort to theft, burglary and robbery to feed their addiction to drugs.

Prisons may temporarily deprive addicts of drugs, but it does nothing to combat their addictions or break the cycle of offending they cause.

It is interesting, therefore, to note the success of the Substance Misuse Service at Durham Prison.

It has shown the benefits of investing resources to help wean prisoners off hard drugs.

And crucially, the service offers the chance of continuing the counselling and support process when offenders are released from prison.

The weakness of the overall regime in the prison service is highlighted in the latest report on the Government's Street Crime Initiative.

Ministers will prefer to look at the short-term benefits of the initiative, which has reduced the incidents of crime and increased the number of arrests.

But they must not overlook the negative aspects of the report.

It points to the lack of sufficient post-sentence supervision and rehabilitation. It is clear the promise of giving drug addict street robbers treatment within 24 hours of release from custody is not being met.

The failure to deliver this promise is storing up trouble over the longer term.

To adopt and adapt one of the Prime Minister's political catchphrases, the Government is tough on street crime, but not tough on the cause of street crime.

We urge Mr Blair and the Home Office to examine the apparent success of the Durham experiment.

There will be some critics who will suggest that prisons are for punishment rather than rehabilitation.

However, the social and financial benefits of facilities such as those in Durham are obvious.

In theory, reducing the level of addiction will reduce the level of crime, and will, in turn, reduce the level of the prison population.

This is the virtuous cycle our society should be seeking, instead of having to cope with the vicious cycle of addiction, crime and incarceration.