North Wales Police hope a new initiative launched on Tuesday will reduce the number of people committing crimes who are taking drugs such as heroin and cocaine.

People being held in custody in Wrexham and Flintshire are being drugs tests after police were given special powers by the Home Office.

New pilot sites

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The scheme - which has already been running for two months - was officially unveiled in Wrexham.

North Wales Police are the only force in Wales to take part in the pilot project and officers are keen for the scheme to make a difference.

"Home Office research has shown that Class A drugs are driving a lot of crime," said superintendent Michelle Williams.

"It's too early to comment on our statistics but no one has yet declined a test".

The scheme to test for heroin and cocaine use was introduced after research showed they were most commonly associated with drug-related crime.

Detainees' tested are provided with their reading

The pilot is a joint initiative between North Wales Police and the Probation Service.

Similar projects in Hackney, London, Staffordshire and Nottingham have been running since 2001, and six new pilots are now being rolled out across the UK.

The only people compulsory drug tested will be those charged with offences which are viewed as specific trigger offences.

These include house burglary, robbery and heroin and cocaine drug-related crime.

Sharon McCain, the project manager for North Wales Police, said she believed the scheme will have a positive effect.

"Ultimately, it'll divert people away from misusing Class A drugs and reduce in the long term crime carried out by people using these drugs."

Sharon McCain supports the scheme

Suspects charged have been providing a saliva sample which is tested for signs of heroin or cocaine use.

Offenders who test positive are offered the opportunity to begin treatment and the test results are made available to the court to assist with bail and sentencing.

The Probation Service has been awarded �160,000 by the Home Office to get involved in the two year programme.

Probation officer Phil Goodwin said the pilot in north Wales would make a difference.

"We hope to stop people early on in their drug taking years and stop them becoming further addicted.

"If we have a 20% impact, that is a significant amount on crime and drug abuse."