§ Mr. Tony BanksTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each police authority area, the number of people arrested for possession of cannabis in each year since 1989; and what percentage of those was(a) prosecuted and (b) cautioned.
§ Mr. Maclean[holding answer 2 February 1994]: Information on the number of persons arrested for possession of cannabis is not collected centrally. Information on the total number of persons dealt with for the offence of unlawful possession of cannabis, and the percentage of those persons who were cautioned, from 1989 to 1992, the latest year for which figures are available, is given in the table.
809W
Offenders 1989 Percentage cautioned Offenders 1990 Percentage cautioned Offenders 1991 Percentage cautioned Offenders 1992 Percentage cautioned West Yorkshire 115 12 859 11 488 19 595 22 Wiltshire 325 92 193 66 231 68 363 75 England—other 140 80 269 70 148 82 286 96 Dyfed and Powys 53 79 194 34 284 55 465 77 Gwent 12 8 192 49 166 69 254 78 North Wales 81 26 373 20 403 53 309 59 South Wales 243 22 505 11 323 7 292 40 Wales—other 0 — 2 0 4 75 10 80 RUC 44 41 110 53 69 38 129 33 Northern Ireland—other 0 — 0 — 0 — 1 100 United Kingdom 15,620 75 33,753 48 35,622 54 34,705 63 1 There is no cautioning in Scotland