The campaign is funded by money seized from drug dealers

The six-week �1m publicity campaign is to be paid for by money seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Posters and newspaper ads with the slogan "The dealers don't care, do you?" will appear over the next few weeks in communities across Scotland.

Launching the campaign, First Minister Jack McConnell said ordinary people's actions could make a difference.

"If you speak out you can get rid of dealers in your community," he said.

"If you speak out, you can provide the evidence that the police need to put criminals behind bars."

We have many examples of drug dealers being brought to justice because local people have had the courage to pick up the phone and tell us what they know about local drug dealers in their area Assistant Chief Constable Norma Graham 'It's up to us to get on with it'

He launched the campaign on a visit to the Craigheads estate in Barrhead, where he met local residents and community police officers.

Assistant Chief Constable Norma Graham, from the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos), said: "Community intelligence is the lifeblood of our operations against drug dealers.

"If it were not for such vital information coming from the very heart of our communities our efforts to take drugs off the streets would be severely hampered.

"We have many examples of drug dealers being brought to justice because local people have had the courage to pick up the phone and tell us what they know about local drug dealers in their area.

Drug dealing

"Often the police may not act on that information immediately, for a number of reasons, but we guarantee that it will form part of a jigsaw of intelligence we will use to target drug dealers."

The campaign aims to encourage people to provide anonymous information on drug dealers and drug dealing activity in their area to Crimestoppers Scotland.

People living in areas hardest hit by drugs will receive mail-outs asking them to pass on information by post.