§ VISCOUNT MASSEREENE AND FERRARDMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the Metropolitan Police are employed whole-time on drug work; and whether they propose to increase this number.]
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, all 20,000 members of the Metropolitan Police Force have a responsibility for enforcing the law relating to the misuse of drugs. It is not the policy of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to assign exclusive responsibility in this field to specialist squads; but a central support squad of 31 officers is employed full-time on drugs work. Its complement, which has only recently been increased, is kept under regular review.
§ VISCOUNT MASSEREENE AND FERRARDMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply.
THE EARL OF MANSFIELDMy Lords, do Her Majesty's Government realise how much the police are handicapped in dealing with all forms of crime—not merely this abominable crime of drug trafficking—by a grave shortage of manpower, and that this shortage of manpower will not be remedied until the conditions of service in this country are very considerably improved?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, I note the point which the noble Earl has made. I think it goes rather wider than the Question.
LORD ST. JUSTMy Lords, will the noble Lord not agree that this illicit drug trafficking is as dangerous as anything else, and that this is a problem which must be faced by the police?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, all drug trafficking is dangerous. The drug 938 squad of 31 officers in the Metropolitan Police District, to which I referred, is concerned mainly with drug trafficking. The remainder of the officers also have a responsibility for the enforcement of the law.
§ LORD MONTAGU OF BEAULIEUMy Lords, will the noble Lord not agree that it is important to keep a sense of proportion, and that it would be undesirable to employ officers at the expense of dealing with crimes such as armed robbery, assault and fraud which, in the opinion of many, are a greater threat to the security of society?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, the police have a very wide range of duties, and the crimes which the noble Lord has mentioned are important, as are the ones referred to in the Question.
§ BARONESS GAITSKELLMy Lords, will the noble Lord not agree that we are exaggerating this problem enormously and that there are many other much more serious problems with which the police can deal?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, I do not think it would be right to minimise the extent and importance of the drug problem. We are going to debate this subject shortly after the New Year on the Misuse of Drugs Bill, and we shall then have an opportunity of discussing the extent and significance of the misuse of drugs.
§ VISCOUNT MASSEREENE AND FERRARDMy Lords, does not the noble Lord agree that a lot of crime stems from the taking of drugs?
§ LORD BLYTONMy Lords, can the noble Lord say which class of society takes these drugs, because I have found none among the working class?
§ LORD WINDLESHAMMy Lords, these are issues which I think we should do well to defer until we debate the Misuse of Drugs Bill.