LLANELLI'S new top cop is about to get tough with drug addicts.

If recently installed Chief Superintendent Steven Mears gets Home Office clearance, police in the town will soon be able to test people arrested for drug use.

Those found to be using drugs will be forced to seek help or face being locked up.

The test-on-arrest measure is being called Tough Choices because drug-using criminals will have to choose between the straight and narrow or the prison cell. The process, which requires special legislation, is part of the Government's Drug Interventions Programme.

Divisional Commander for Carmarthenshire Mr Mears told the Star: "If successful, it will mean legislation comes in which will allow us to mandatory drug test people who are arrested for certain offences.

"If it is positive, they have to go and see a drugs worker. If they fall out of that cycle, they actually commit a criminal offence and there's a presumption of no bail.

"It's called Tough Choices because they have to make a tough choice — they accept and go into the preventative cycle or they will be locked up."

If successful, Llanelli would become the first town to target drugs in such a way.

But the commander denied that Llanelli has a massive drugs problem.

He said: "I'm very conscious of the concern that there is in Llanelli about the drug problems. I don't want to play this down but I have seen nothing that puts Llanelli on a far higher level than other equivalent towns.

"I share the concerns about drug deaths, any drugs death is a failure that shouldn't happen."

For the full story see this week's Llanelli Star.