LABOUR is promising the Scottish police #7m of new money - specifically to bolster the attack on drug dealers - should the party gain power at the first Scottish Parliamentary election in May, writes James Freeman, Home Affairs Correspondent.

Home Affairs Minister Henry McLeish has revealed to The Herald that the cash will be in addition to #2.5m he is currently committing for more new information technology which will give Scottish forces five new automatic fingerprint recognition terminals in Dundee, Aberdeen, and Glasgow, a promise the new administration will have to meet.

After years of squeezing the police budget, in line with its promise to adhere to the public spending levels of the Tories, Labour's sudden loosening of the purse strings will be widely welcomed by the Scottish forces.

Mr McLeish has had informal consultation with at least two senior police leaders in determining the finance required to double the size of the Scottish Crime Squad, the all-force unit of 100 officers whose work is mainly in targeting the top end of the drugs trade, and to beef up drug squads in the eight forces by another 100 detectives.

The SCS is based at Inchinnan, Paisley, alongside the National Crime Intelligence Service and Customs and Excise, a marriage which has been an inspired success. While #5m would pay for the new officers, the balance would be required for physical back-up such as cars, equipment and information technology.

The Scottish Crime Squad would then form the nucleus of a Scottish Drugs Enforcement Agency, bringing greater co-operation between the individual force drugs squads and intelligence-gathering operations. It would liaise closely with a ministerial drugs forum comprising leaders from every section of criminal justice in Scotland with the Scottish Secretary in the chair backed by Helen Liddell from education, Lord Sewel dealing with social inclusion issues, and Mr McLeish from enforcement.

Mr Mcleish says: ''By thinking through this integrated approach, we are sending a message to the major dealers. They have to feel threatened, not the ordinary people of Scotland.

''The drugs trade is a complex one, from the Mr Bigs down to the street runners. We have decided that it is necessary to step the operation up several gears.''

The drugs forum will also address existing confiscation procedures, initially to see where they can be strengthened and speeded up so that the assets of more dealers can be hit. He is, however, being more cautious about seizure of assets than some rash headlines would suggest.