SENIOR police officers have been rapped for not keeping a close eye on batches of seized cocaine and heroin.

Spot checks found a lack of information about what happens to Class A drugs after they are confiscated by North Yorkshire Police.

Officers were also criticised for not fully recording details of the weight or quantity of drug hauls or why they thought suspects possessed it.

Inspectors said the system was "fundamentally flawed", lacked credibility and confidence, and could leave the force open to challenges in court.

But a North Yorkshire Police spokesman said today that there was "no question" that any drugs had gone missing.

Since the review, which took place in February, Chief Constable Della Cannings has led the creation of a new drugs strategy for the force and improved paperwork systems.

The force has had a number of high-profile drug seizures, including many from vehicles stopped by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) teams.

In April, officers raided homes in The Groves, Acomb and Tang Hall, confiscating crack cocaine and heroin, as well as large quantities of unexplained cash and suspected stolen goods.

A Force spokesman said: "We do have systems in place and can account for all drug seizures. However, since this report we have improved the crime reporting system."

The findings came in a review by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary of the way North Yorkshire Police handles information about offences involving Class A drugs.

Inspectors made several recommendations in relation to the force's policies, procedures and guidance surrounding the handling and recording of these incidents.

As a result the force has developed a three-year Drugs Strategy that outlines its approach to drug misuse in York and North Yorkshire, incorporating local and national targets.

It details the force's commitment to the Government's recently unveiled Drug Intervention programme (DIP), that aims to break drug users free from the cycle of crime and abuse.

In a paper that was presented to North Yorkshire Police Authority, the force watchdog, Chief Constable Della Cannings said she is determined to tackle all those people involved in illegal drugs.

She said: "The data collection systems and drug offender databases have been re-examined to ensure data captured is accurate.

"It is of note that the inspection team acknowledged that North Yorkshire Police was already making progress to improve performance."

Updated: 10:15 Wednesday, August 03, 2005