HE STOOPS as he tries to conquer the hearts of a Teesside estate and when he comes to deal with the Press he makes sure he has them on the right - strange behaviour indeed for a Labour man.

But this senior minister of Her Majesty's Government has a problem with his hearing, something his opponents have accused him of for years.

Home Secretary Jack Straw is on tour, his latest venue being a community centre in Thornaby, Stockton.

There he meets people from Panic - Parents Against Narcotics in the Community - and he likes what he sees. People taking control, people fighting back, people saying no to drug dealers.

And afterwards, it's time to meet the Press, the local media he obviously feels perfectly at home with.

"Violent crime overall is down, but crime is too high, too high everywhere," he says to a TV crew. "We are pleased with what we have achieved over the four years, but I'm not going to say for a second that we have solved the crime problem."

Drugs are a pernicious cancer which get into the community, he says. So a lot is to be done to get offenders out of crime and into treatment.

The microphone is lowered, the five minutes are up and it's time to move on to the scared looking radio journalist.

Then it's me. I've talked to him before but don't expect him to remember. But he does recall The Northern Echo and the campaign it is running for the victims of crime.

It's all smiles, and knowing nods and "off the record, as you already will know".

And its all North-East this and Teesside that as he attempts to make his national patter more parochial.

"We have made a good start on crime, which is illustrated in the North-East, where the number of police officers has gone up and there has been a good crime record on similar budgets to other parts of the country," he says.

"They have used the money wisely - crime is 18 per cent down in Cleveland."

Good news, but he knows the people he has just addressed have to live with crime every day and want more action.

"There is a lot more to do, particularly on drugs, which is behind half of crime. So there will be more enforcement, education and prevention.

"The health service here will ensure that treatment contracts will be organised better. But it's a hard fight against ruthless and serious criminals. We have got to keep at it."

On Operation Lancet and the suspended Cleveland police officers, it's a resounding "no comment". He has a role still to play in the aftermath inquiry.

It's the only mention of the police in the interview. Then he leaves in his cavalcade for his next venue, over the border in Northumbria Police's jurisdiction, somewhere he can safely praise officers' work.