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UK: Cannabis pilot to continue

The BBC

Thursday 21 Mar 2002

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The "softly, softly" approach to cannabis possession in Lambeth will
continue, says the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

But Sir John Stevens said the scheme will not be extended to other areas of
London at the moment.

The scheme means those caught in possession of cannabis are being let off
with a warning.

Two evaluations of the pilot have shown that during six months 1,350 hours
of police time have been saved.

There has also been a 35% increase in the number of instances of possession
recorded and an 11% increase in drug trafficking offences recorded.

Critics of the scheme, set up by the Met commander Brian Paddick, say the
increase in recorded offences is because drugs have flooded into the area
as a result of the experiment.

Senior officers admit that what appears to work in Lambeth might not be the
case in other parts of London.

Sir John said the results of a MORI poll show that attitudes to the scheme
are split along racial lines in Lambeth.

'Very unclear'

He said: "A larger percentage of white residents than black or Asian
residents supported the scheme."

He said the time saved in completing arrest formalities and preparing court
papers could be put into crime-fighting use.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Mike Fuller, who has been overseeing the
project, said: "The public were very unclear about what was happening and
thought drugs were being legalised and that wasn't the case.

"Officers are still seizing the cannabis. Communication is going to be a
key issue in any new scheme which arises from the pilot."

The Lambeth Cannabis Warning Scheme has been subjected to two evaluations
in the six months since it began in July last year.

Criminal activity

As well as the Mori survey, which looks at local and national attitudes to
the scheme, statistical analysis of the scheme's impact and police
officers' feedback has been carried out.

Mr Fuller has been asked to analyse the findings from the two surveys and
consider the potential impact for the rest of the capital.

A working group will now undertake further analysis of the pilot focusing
on a number of areas, including how the saving of police time can be used
effectively.

Mr Fuller said: "I will be looking at how the police time saved as a
consequence of this scheme was used to tackle wider criminal activity in
the borough of Lambeth."

Wider consultation with the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police
Authority will take place before a decision on the future of the scheme is
made.

 

 

 

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