The Metropolitan Police authority is to scrutinise the force's drug crime policy.

The drugs scrutiny, anticipated to report next spring, will assess the current MPS position, develop an understanding of the scale of the problem facing the police, identify good practice and the partnership arrangements required with other agencies in order to improve the police response.

Richard Sumray, chair of the drugs scrutiny, said: ‘Reducing drug crime has been an MPA target for a number of years. This scrutiny will enable us to investigate the MPS response to this difficult social problem in detail.

‘We intend to improve the MPS's ability to impact positively in this difficult area and its ability to reduce drug-related crime at a corporate level. Co-ordination and the development of a strategic approach are our ultimate goals.

‘Drug-related crime is significant and has a huge impact on Londoners - families of users, victims of crime and the broader community suffer. Police strategies and interventions have a valuable role to play in minimising the effects, but can only be achieved in partnership with other agencies and there needs to be a clarification of the roles and responsibilities of those involved.

‘We know that the MPS has previously developed a drug prevention strategy, but it is not clear to what extent this has been implemented. This, together with our understanding that police initiatives are in place across the capital in apparent isolation of each other, has encouraged us to scrutinise the MPS approach to drug crime in depth.’