A police chief today called on the public to join the "battle" against drug dealers peddling misery across Bradford.

Chief Superintendent Graham Sunderland pledged to put the dealers "on the back foot" as he launched a campaign urging the public to name the pushers so they could be cleared from the district's streets.

He said the force's "Dob in a Dealer" offensive - using the confidential Crimestoppers hotline - would ensure there was no hiding place left for traders selling class A Drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.

The Keighley divisional commander said dealers were wrecking communities and even enticing children into the seedy world of drugs by offering free samples.

As thousands of posters and leaflets went out around the Bradford and Keighley divisions, Chief Supt Sunderland said: "These people are in the minority. There are a lot more police officers and law-abiding members of the public than dealers.

"Our army is much bigger and better organised and we are gathering more and more intelligence on a daily basis."

He highlighted the success of the newly-launched district drugs team which has seized more than three kilogrammes of heroin, a quarter of a kilo of crack and more than 200 Ecstasy pills in just six weeks. More than 60 people have been arrested in co-ordinated raids.

The drugs team, supporting the initiative Crackdown in Bradford - A Community Against Drugs, aims to disrupt drug markets, lock up dealers and break the link with addicts who steal and rob or use prostitution to fund their habits.

"The dealers who sell class A drugs are decimating our communities," said Chief Supt Sunderland.

"They are driven by greed and are not particular to any colour or ethnic group."

He described the increase in crack cocaine use as a "major worry" and added: "This drug is so addictive. We have seen the effect it has had on other major cities and we are determined to stop it happening here.

"The dealers move in and set up crack houses and then you begin to see the windows of local homes being boarded up. It is like a cancer which needs to be taken out at the roots.

"The dealers have even been known to target schools.

"Just like major supermarket chains they will also offer free samples and when people come back for more, then they start charging."

He accepted that hard drug use in Bradford has increased over the last decade but added: "It is no different here to any other large city in this country. It is certainly not right that Bradford is the drugs centre of the universe."

And he praised the public for its support and stressed they played a vital role in the war on drugs.

"The district drugs team is already having an impact on street dealers but we can do so much more with the right information."

He said callers could do so anonymously and also earn a reward.

"I think that the public are beginning to see that that the information they are giving us is actually being acted upon," said Chief Supt Sunderland.

"We might not do it there and then and it might be covert, but we are going out and getting those dealers they tell us about."

And he said the dealers were getting the message as well.

"We will close down one dealer and when the next one comes along, we will close him down as well. Eventually they will know that if they sell drugs, they will be locked up.

"We will keep going while they are out there selling drugs. We will not go away."

Anyone with information on drug dealers should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.