§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many police officers are principally deployed on drugs work in each police force; and what was the comparable number in 1979.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe information is as follows:
Force 1979 1989 Central Scotland 0 4 Dumfries and Galloway 0 2 Fife 0 6 Grampian 2 12 Lothian and Borders 13 24 Northern 0 5 Strathclyde 14 34 Tayside 4 13 Total 33 100 In addition, since 1986, the strength of the Scottish crime squad has been increased by 31 officers to allow the formation of drugs wings based in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Stonehaven.
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§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the latest figures on the prevalence of drug misuse and service provision.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythThe extent of an illegal activity such as drug misuse cannot be precisely measured. Two main indicators are the number of addicts notified to the Home Office and the number of drugs offences recorded by the police. A comprehensive range of figures for 1988 is contained in "Statistics of Drug Addicts Notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom, 1988—Area Tables" and SHHD statistical bulletin No. 1/1989 "Recorded Crime in Scotland 1988", copies of which are in the Library. The number of new addicts notified to the Home Office from Scotland in 1988 was 400, an increase of 5 per cent. over 1987. The number of drugs offences recorded by the police in Scotland in 1988 was 5,213, an increase of about 10 per cent. over 1987.
From the current financial year, provision to health boards to maintain and develop drug misuse services is being increased from £1 million to £2 million per annum. The latest (fifth) edition of "Drug Problems—A Register of Helping Agencies", published in March 1989, lists the many services at present available in Scotland specifically for the treatment and rehabilitation of drug misusers. I am arranging for a copy to be placed in the Library.
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of prosecutions for drug offences in 1979 and in each succeeding year.
§ Lord James Douglas-HamiltonThe information requested is given below. For this purpose, the relevant offences are taken to be the illegal importation, production, manufacture, cultivation or supply of drugs, possession with intent to supply, and simply possession.
Persons proceeded against: Scotland Numbers 1979 1,336 1980 1,402 1981 1,183 1982 1,663 1983 1,971 1984 2,584 1985 3,047 1986 3,065 1987 2,842
§ Mr. DobsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of registered drug addicts in 1979 and in each succeeding year.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythInformation on the total number of addicts notified to the Home Office from Scotland in the years 1979 to 1988 is published in Tables Al and A2 of "Statistics of Drug Addicts Notified to the Home Office, United Kingdom, 1988—Area Tables", a copy of which is in the Library.