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UK: Drug Reprimand But No Arrest For Almost 500

Derbyshire Evening Telegraph

Friday 17 Aug 2007

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Nearly 500 people were let off with a slap on the wrist after being
caught with cannabis in Derbyshire last year.

Home Office figures reveal 497 formal warnings - which let the user off
without a criminal record - were given out in the county in 2005-6.

But while other police forces have been dishing out more warnings each
year, Derbyshire has bucked the trend by giving out fewer in each of the
past two years.

Last year's total was down from 513 the previous year, and 665 in
2004-5, when the new warnings were first introduced.

A Derbyshire police spokeswoman said the force followed national
guidelines in giving out warnings, and said it was difficult to read
anything into a pattern over two years.

She said it could be down to persistent users being arrested after
receiving warnings in previous years.

"We follow the Association of Chief Police Officers' guidelines but it's
done on a case-by-case basis," she said.

"After two warnings you're not really complying, so you'd be arrested."

Officers were given the power to issue an official reprimand instead of
having to pursue criminal charges against anyone found in possession of
the drug in January 2004 when it was downgraded from class B to class C.

The drug is still illegal, but police will now usually prosecute only if
there are aggravating factors, such as smoking in a public place or
repeat offending.

Further action is also taken if someone has already received two warnings.

The number of warnings issued by neighbouring forces has rocketed - up
from 154 to 1,555 in the past two years in Leicestershire and 529 to
1,077 in Nottinghamshire.

Across England and Wales, formal warnings rose from 39,258 in 2004-5 to
81,310 last year.

http://www.thisisderbyshire.co.uk/

 

 

 

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