By Danny Shaw BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

It was, Tony Blair declared, a "national emergency".

Early in 2002, figures showed that robbery levels had doubled in four years - and they were escalating further.

The prime minister decided that the only way to bring street crime under control was to take personal charge of a campaign to drive it down.

He assembled government ministers and leaders of criminal justice agencies into a high-profile team called the Street Crime Action Group, to lead the initiative.

Tony Blair took charge of the campaign to beat crime

The group met every two weeks in the Cabinet Office Briefing Room - a venue normally used for co-ordinating responses to civil emergencies or terrorism.

They developed a programme of action in the 10 areas of England worst hit by robberies and muggings, helped by the Home Office which ring-fenced �67m. Funding was also made available from other departments.

And, within weeks, street crimes were beginning to fall. By October 2002 they were down 16%; year-on-year, the fall was 17% - 17,000 fewer victims.

It sounds like a great success: a personal triumph for the PM. But the headline does not tell the whole story.

The report - by eight inspectorates - identified a series of problems with the criminal justice system that prevented further progress.

The most glaring example was the failure to provide offenders addicted to drugs with quick access to treatment. Most had to wait two to three months before receiving help.

Red tape

Some drug users even considered committing offences - in order to access detoxification and rehabilitation programmes in prison.

To those familiar with drug treatment schemes this comes as no surprise.

Although millions of pounds are being spent on improving facilities and training drug workers, there are still long waits for treatment.

The system is tangled up in red tape with complex funding arrangements.

The report also pinned blame on the Crown Prosecution Service for failing to deliver the "Premium Service" it had promised in cases of street crime.

The "Premium Service" was launched in May 2002 amid great publicity. Experienced lawyers were to be deployed to speed up cases through the courts.

The most worrying finding is that the Street Crime Initiative "almost wholly ignored" the role and importance of post-sentence work

Although the scheme was set up with the best of intentions, it was never likely to work in such a short timescale.

It was beset by the problems which continue to bedevil the CPS - poor case preparation and inadequate communication between lawyers and police.

System failure

One issue highlighted by the report was the lack of legal advice available to police officers before suspects were charged.

Such information is crucial if cases are to go ahead on time.

But inspectors found that the CPS didn't have any lawyers available for consultation out-of-hours. Instead, senior managers provided the service on a "goodwill" basis.

But the most worrying finding is that the Street Crime Initiative "almost wholly ignored" the role and importance of post-sentence work.

Offenders were caught, charged, tried and convicted.

But what happens when they're released from custody or complete their community sentences?

That is something that Tony Blair's team has not yet addressed.