Why does the government want a drug-dealers register

By Christina Okoli

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Why does the government want to register known drug dealers
Plans to introduce a register of known drug dealers were announced by the prime minister Tony Blair at the Labour Party's spring conference in February. The move comes as part of the government's initiative to name-and-shame convicted drug dealers and crackdown on the growing problem of illegal drug trafficking and drug use in the UK.

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How will the register work and what will the information be used for
The register will work very much like the recently launched sex-offenders register, which has proved hugely successful in helping the police to monitor the movements of known offenders. The drug dealers register will be used by banks and financial institutions to check suspicious transactions and to stop dealers laundering drug money. The register will contain the names, addresses, photographs and other personal details of convicted drug pushers. The courts will have the power to order that someone who is coming out of prison signs the register, and keeps police informed of their movements and any change of address.

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When will the register be introduced
Although Mr Blair gave no firm details about the time scale for the introduction of the register, political analysts expect that the scheme will be enforced during the next parliament and will begin operating sometime in 2002.

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Will every convicted drug dealer go onto the register
No, only dealers who the courts believe could re-offend will be forced to sign the register.

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But, are these plans feasible
Various anti-drugs organisations have been campaigning for such a register for many years, and have welcomed the government's plan. Similar models, including the sex offenders register, have proved hugely successful and useful to police, and the proposed drug dealers register will be based on the same blueprint. Therefore, it appears that the plan is a feasible one. However, concerns have been raised about the workload involved in creating a single register for the whole of the UK. As a result of these concerns the government's home office department has said that it is looking into the possibility of creating two separate registers for the north and south of the country.

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