A PIONEERING police initiative has seen more than 700 people tested for drugs immediately on being arrested.

Since Durham Police’s Drug Test on Arrest crackdown began last autumn, around 740 tests have been carried out.

The Drug Test 5000 equipment tests for cannabis, opiates and amphetamine.

Detective Inspector Andy Crowe said: “Drug addiction is the prime cause of many types of crime affecting our region and it’s important we tackle it at the earliest possible stage to support longer term reductions in crime.

“We’re looking at the bigger picture and approaching every individual from the perspective of what did they do and why did they do this.

“The Drager Drug Test 5000 enables us to look at the individual circumstances behind each crime and offer people suffering from drug addiction, in whatever form, the chance to take a different path and recovery away from a life in the criminal justice system.”

Manufacturer Drager is now calling on other police forces to adopt its equipment.