Presenting his annual report to members of the Joint Police Board in Perth, Mr Vine said only by stemming demand could the force address what is an increasing problem.

Chaotic addicts seeking cash to fund their habits fuelled a near 40% rise in the number of robberies committed on the streets last year.

The force is also concerned Tayside is becoming a growing market for the distribution of Class A drugs.

With an increase in housebreaking across the region also being linked to drugs, concerned senior officers believe the “revolving door” of repeatedly sending addicted criminals to jail for short spells is failing.

They are now looking to pursue a widespread review of the way the issue is being tackled, involving the health board and other agencies, to try and stem demand by steering people away from their addiction and criminal lifestyle.

“We need to look in a more innovative way at how we can deal with the drugs marketplace,” Mr Vine said.

“We need to consider things that have perhaps been unpalatable in the past, such as the prescribing of Class A drugs to chaotic users.

“If we could help addicts to get a fix on the State rather than from dealers then its possible we could could stop them housebreaking and thieving.

“We are not going to make progress unless certain things are taken out of the ‘too difficult box’.

“We could also look at piloting the drugs court initiative, which has proved successful in other countries.

“Unless we stem demand then enforcement alone is not going to save the day.”

The force’s annual report, published today, shows serious violent crime rose from 682 cases in 2005/06 to 718 last year, and detection slipped from 85% to 83.8%.

Minds have been focused by the 39.6% increase in robberies, including cases where vulnerable pensioners have been violently attacked for cash.

Analysis suggests most of these crimes were committed by people needing money to buy heroin and other illegal drugs. “Intelligence is telling us that where street dealers would previously have taken stolen property, they now want cash,” said Assistant Chief Constable Iain Macleod.

“We are pretty sure that is responsible for the increase in things like robberies at ATMs.

“Serious and violent crime has got to be set in context. Against overall figures it is still relatively a very small number, and we do have pretty good detection rates because, quite rightly, we put a lot of effort into it.”

The force has introduced a robbery strategy, including targeting of individuals and crime hotspots alongside a publicity campaign.

“We want to engage further with our partners and see if we can get some addicts out of their chaotic lifestyle,” said Mr Macleod.

“The revolving door of locking them up every three months doesn’t achieve anything.”

Domestic housebreaking, also frequently linked to chaotic drug use, rose last year from 927 to 1001 cases, with the detection rate increasing to almost one in three cases and hitting the target set for 2006/07.

Senior officers said they were unable to put a figure on how much acquisitive crime is linked to drugs, but research has suggested it could be as much as 75%.

They did acknowledge that, from anecdotal evidence, it appeared casual drug use in Tayside is higher than previously thought.

The annual report states that the force had achieved its benchmark for drugs crimes, and the focus on those supplying class A narcotics is described as a “high priority.”

The weight of class A substances seized more than trebled last year to 28,143 grams, as did the quantity of Class A tablets to 35,158.

Supply and possession of Class A drugs increased from 255 to 322 crimes while supply and possession of all classes of illegal substances rose from 779 to 812.

Alarmingly, the force said there continues to be a significant problem with drug overdoses.

It’s understood between two and three addicts a week require life-saving intervention from paramedics.

Despite those efforts, there were 37 confirmed or suspected drugs deaths in 2006/07, compared to 29 in 2005/06.

Mr Mathieson said drugs were linked to a number of issues in society, from housing to prostitution, and the issue was one which had to be tackled by agencies in partnership.

Chief Constable John Vine noted the force had been involved in a number of pioneering schemes, including needle exchange and arrest referral.

He added, “It is partly a political issue, but one of the things I want to do is open up a dialogue with the NHS to see if there’s more we can be doing.”