A big rise in heroin and cocaine use has pushed up crime by almost 12% on Teesside.

The outgoing Cleveland Police chief constable Barry Shaw has told Home Secretary Jack Straw the situation is blighting communities.

Mr Shaw says he now plans to refocus resources to improve call handling, response policing and community policing.

New figures show crime increased by 11.9% in the year to April 2002 and that officers dealt with more than 273,000 incidents.

Barry Shaw: "Drugs are a blight on communities"

Burglary increased by 15.4% and vehicle crime by 4.3%.

Mr Shaw said the figures were "disappointing" following several years of successful crime reduction.

He said: "Much of the increase was driven by the growth in heroin addiction and the increasing use of cocaine, which blight our communities and fuel crime and anti-social behaviour.

"Drug trafficking, and its associated misery, is now the main public concern on Teesside.

"We have responded to that concern. Dedicated drug units operate across the force area and we have more than doubled arrests for the supply of Class A drugs.

"Crime increased by 11.9%. Burglary increased by 15.4% and vehicle crime by 4.3%. This was disappointing following several years of successful crime reduction.