Police let class A drug users walk free
Half of class A drug users are let off by police without punishment, official figures show.
Some 48.1 per cent of people caught in possession of hard drugs, such as cocaine and heroin, were let off without any criminal sanction, Home Office data analysed by The Telegraph reveals.
It represents a six-fold increase in drug users escaping prosecution since 2016, when the proportion was only 7.5 per cent.
In some forces, more than 80 per cent caught with cocaine, heroin or other class A drugs escaped any criminal punishment.
They were instead handed community resolutions, which do not result in a criminal record and only require an offender to accept 'responsibility' for their crime, or were let off 'in the public interest'.
Only a third of class A drug possession offences resulted in a charge.
The data reflects a shift by police to treat drug possession of any type as a health issue rather than criminal one and comes days after Sir Sadiq Khan, the Labour Mayor of London, called for possession of small amounts of natural cannabis to be decriminalised.
But critics have warned police against 'decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences'.
At least a quarter of the 43 police forces in England and Wales have adopted 'diversion' schemes where users caught with small amounts of drugs like cannabis are 'diverted' to treatment or education programmes rather than prosecuted, particularly for first-time offences.
Nearly three-quarters (72.1 per cent) of those caught in possession of cannabis were let off without any criminal sanctions.
Thames Valley, West Midlands and Durham are among the dozen forces to have adopted diversion schemes, which could be rolled out nationally if successful.
The Treasury and Cabinet Office have put £1.9 million into evaluating the approach in partnership with five universities, the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing, the standards body for forces in England and Wales.
The College said the aim of the diversion scheme was to 'reduce re-offending and wider harms by approaching substance use as a health issue rather than a criminal justice issue'.
The research will compare re-offending rates, hospital and treatment admissions with the aim of establishing 'whether and how drug diversion works, for whom, when and why'.
'Devastated by soft policy'
But Chris Philp, the Tory shadow home secretary, warned the move amounted to decriminalisation by stealth.
'Parliament has rightly legislated that certain drugs are illegal because they cause serious harm to health, lead to antisocial behaviour and fuel acquisitive crime like theft, burglary and shoplifting as addicts steal to fund buying drugs,' he said.
'Police should not be decriminalising drugs via the back door by ignoring tens of thousands of offences. People who break the law should be prosecuted, and a magistrate or judge can decide what to do.
'Options a magistrate has available include fines, community service and addiction treatment requirements as well as prison.
'We have seen many US and Canadian cities devastated by soft drugs policies. These have allowed ghettos to develop where zombified addicts loiter unpunished and law abiding members of the public fear to go. We can't allow the UK to go the same way through weak policing.
'We need a zero tolerance approach to crime, including a zero tolerance approach to drug taking.'
But the College of Policing defended approach and pointed to research, based on 16 different studies, that showed drug diversion had resulted in a 'small but significant' reduction in drug use, particularly among young people.
The Telegraph analysis showed that Warwickshire had the lowest proportion of offenders caught with class A drugs who were let off, at just 9.2 per cent, while Dyfed Powys had the highest at 88.6 per cent.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
39 minutes ago
- The Sun
People-smugglers are using boats ‘like taxis' says John Healey, as 1,194 cross channel in a DAY
Julia Atherley Jack Elsom Published: Invalid Date, BRAZEN people-smugglers used boats 'like a taxi' to pick up migrant masses from French beaches and ferry them to the UK. Police stood and watched as the gangs took advantage of calm seas on Saturday to launch 18 boats for the use of mostly young men. 4 4 A total of 1,194 people made the crossing successfully, the highest number in a day since 2022. Officials said only 184 were stopped — fewer than 15 per cent. Photos of smiling migrants in the boats crossing the Channel emerged later on social media. It comes despite a deal agreed in 2023 to pay the French £480million to stop the crossings. Defence Secretary John Healey described the weekend scenes from the French beaches as 'shocking'. He said: 'Truth is, Britain's lost control of its borders over the last five years.' He said the smugglers were dodging waiting cops by 'launching elsewhere and coming around like a taxi'. Mr Healey said it was a 'really big problem' that, under French law, the police were not allowed to intervene once boats were in shallow waters. However, he said that 'for the first time' France had agreed to 'change the way they work' so boats could be intercepted once launched 'and not just on the shore'. It was a catastrophic mistake by our weak Prime Minister to cancel the Conservatives' Rwanda removals deterrent just days before it was due to start Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp The total of arrivals so far this year is 14,811, Home Office figures show — the most in the first five months of a year since data was first recorded in 2018. Scores of migrants board overloaded dinghies to make dangerous Channel crossing to UK - as French cops watch on With more good weather on the way, the number of crossings is expected to rise. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said Labour's claim that it would smash the gangs lay in tatters after 'the worst day of the worst year for illegal immigrants crossing the Channel'. He told The Sun: 'It was a catastrophic mistake by our weak Prime Minister to cancel the Conservatives' Rwanda removals deterrent just days before it was due to start. 'The Government now needs to demand that the French intercept these boats at sea and return them to France, like the Belgians do.' He added: 'The French interception rate on land is pathetic and those they catch are just released and then try again the next day. The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models Spokesman 'And every single illegal immigrant that arrives in the UK should be immediately removed to a place outside Europe. Then the crossings would soon stop. It's as simple as that. This madness must end.' A Home Office source said: 'We've developed strong co-operation with the French and it is important that they have agreed to disrupt these boats once they're in the water — and not just on the shore. 'This vital step now needs to be operationalised to protect border security and save lives.' The Home Office said international intelligence-sharing and enhanced enforcement in France would help to combat the problem. A spokesman said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security. 'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models.' 4 4
Daily Mail
40 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Brave Sir Chris Hoy's cancer openness is helping to save lives as Olympic hero says his Instagram is 'stacked' with messages from men saying they have been spurred on to get tested
Sir Chris Hoy has backed early prostate screening to catch cancer, saying his own diagnosis has 'saved lives' of men across the country. Last year the six-time Olympic winner revealed he had terminal prostate cancer, which had spread to his bones. But far from slowing down, the 11-time world champion track cyclist has turned his attention to campaigning, urging more men to be aware of the dangers of the disease. 'Prostate is the most common cancer in England [in men] so I believe we need to be more proactive in how we screen,' he told the Sunday Times. 'Look at my situation.' Sir Chris, 49, has a family history of the disease but had no symptoms and no warnings before the shock diagnosis last year. 'I would not have got a PSA [blood] test if I'd just gone to a regular GP,' he said. 'They'd have said, 'Come back when you're 50'. But by that point it would have been too late.' Prostate cancer can be largely symptomless in its early form, making it difficult to identify. Early diagnosis is also hampered by the fact that men often feel embarrassed to discuss such an intimate medical issue until it's too late. Consequently, around 20 per cent of cases – including Sir Chris's – have already reached the critical stage four by the time they are diagnosed. This means that the tumour has infected other parts of the body, usually making it incurable. Sir Chris said the inbox on his Instagram account is 'stacked' with men saying news of his diagnosis had spurred them to get tested and they had managed to catch it early. 'That gives me a huge lift,' he said. In a boost for the Mail's campaign to cut prostate cancer deaths, he said he would like to see the NHS proactively offer men tests for the disease, in a move that could prevent thousands of needless deaths.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Capivasertib given to breast cancer patients in Wales for first time
A drug which has been proven to extend the life of some people with incurable breast cancer has been given to patients on the NHS in Wales for the first Buchan, 62, who has terminal breast cancer, said capivasertib would allow her to see her son's wedding and gave her "hope".Half of women with breast cancer fuelled by the hormone oestrogen are likely to see their life expectancy double when capivasertib is combined with hormone therapy, research has Rob Jones, who co-led a study looking at capivasertib's effectiveness, said the drug offered "a real life impact for people to spend extra time with their relatives, with their friends". Breast cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, with one in seven women affected in their lifetimes and 75% surviving for 10 years or more after Wales, more than 2,000 people are diagnosed with breast cancer every which was developed by experts at Velindre Cancer Centre and Cardiff University, became available to breast cancer patients on the NHS in April. When Ms Buchan's first line of treatment for her terminal breast cancer stopped working, it was a the recent approval of capivasertib for use on the NHS alongside hormone therapy will allow her to enjoy more time with family and has a common genetic abnormality in her cancer which tests have shown responds well to the drug."To be told I had secondary breast cancer but my life can be extended, I think it's that hope you have to keep in your mind," said Ms Buchan from Barry, Vale of Glamorgan."I know that prior to the first line of treatment going down it was expected I'd live five or six years, maybe more. "The way I cope with this is by thinking about today and today is a good day."Ms Buchan is among thousands in the UK and millions worldwide who could benefit from the drug."I think I'm really lucky because I've got the most supportive husband, children and their partners and extended family and wonderful friends. "What this drug can do for me is allow me to see my son's wedding next year and to look into the future." Despite its approval for use globally by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2023, capivasertib only became available to patients via the NHS in England and Wales this Simon Waters, consultant medical oncologist at Velindre Cancer Centre, said it was a "great opportunity now we've got to this point". "People have been working on it for a long time. It's great we can now put it in to practice as a standard treatment," he said. "We've been using a similar treatment for a smaller group of patients for a few years and that's had quite a lot of issues with side effects and we think this treatment will not only be more effective but also will have fewer issues with side effects. "It's also applicable to a larger group of patients with this common type of breast cancer." How does capivasertib work? The drug is suitable for those with certain gene mutations that affect up to half of people with hormone receptor positive secondary breast cancer - the most common type, which grows in the presence of hormone therapy usually works, eventually the cancer can become resistant to it.A clinical trial found a particular protein which drives the resistance can be neutralised when hormone therapy is combined with capivasertib. 'Doubling of survival time' Prof Rob Jones said: "Patients who received the hormone therapy with a placebo had an overall survival of around 20 months and those who received the capivasertib with the hormone therapy had an extra 39 months."It really is a doubling of survival time so that really is significant. It's not just a statistic - it's a real life impact for people to spend extra time with their relatives, with their friends."Dr Nicola Williams, national director of support and delivery at Health and Care Research Wales, said: "A breast cancer diagnosis can be devastating and one in seven women will be diagnosed with the disease in their lifetime. "This diagnosis is even more painful if you're told your cancer is incurable. "Thanks to the trial and the licensing of capivasertib, when used alongside a standard hormonal therapy, patients like Gwen now have the potential to receive a very significant extension in their lifespan and improved quality of life."
