§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received in the past 12 months from the Metropolitan police concerning resources to tackle the problem of drug abuse.
§ Mr. Giles ShawLast October the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis made an application for an increase of 262 in the police establishment and 17 in the civil staff ceiling for this purpose. On 21 October my right hon. Friend announced his agreement in principle to an increase of 50 in the police establishment from 1 April. He is considering the balance of the application as part of the urgent review of the specific manpower needs of the force.
§ Mr. Simon Hughesasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has of the percentage of drug addicts who are registered.
§ Mr. MellorSince drug misuse is usually a covert activity, it is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the total number of drug addicts and consequently of the proportion of drug addicts who have been notified to the Chief Medical Officer at the Home Office. Some research carried out in two urban areas in England in 1981 suggested that the number of notified addicts was only about one fifth of the number of opioid addicts in the local population at that time. However, it is likely that the proportion of drug addicts notified varies greatly according to the locality and over time.