WILTSHIRE Police may scrap its drugs squad, even though drug-related crime is at an all-time high in the county.

Many police officers are appalled by the proposals and fear for the future.

The drugs unit, set up five years ago in Melksham, has three highly specialised officers. But this week Chief Superintendent Martin Abbott, who is in charge of C Division, confirmed the drugs unit was under review as part of implementing new national guidelines.

He explained that the new National Intelligence Model meant more resources had to be put towards getting better information on crimes such as burglaries and car crime in addition to drugs. He said these crimes were often related so it made sense for one unit to be gaining intelligence on them all.

He pledged drug detection would continue to be a top priority and the new unit would have better resources.

One police officer, who did not want to be named, said many opposed the closure. "How can a force like Wiltshire, which prides itself on its drugs initiatives and things like Shop A Pusher, justify closing it?" he said.

The plan has also outraged drug campaigners, including Ann Adams whose daughter, Lyndsey, 20, is a heroin addict. It was her story which inspired the Gazette's Shop A Pusher campaign. She said it made a mockery of what people in the community were trying to do.