HC Deb 08 March 2000 vol 345 c663W
Mr. Healey

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the effectiveness of police local drugs units in bringing to court hard drugs dealers. [112259]

Mr. Charles Clarke

The police have a key role in the Government's anti-drugs strategy working with other enforcement agencies to stifle the availability of illegal drugs on our streets. The drug problem will not be the same in each force area, and it is an operational matter for each Chief Officer of Police to decide the most effective way to tackle drug dealing in his or her force area. It is for the Crown Prosecution Service to decide whether to prosecute those charged with an offence.

Tough targets have been set under the Government's drugs strategy, significantly to reduce access to all drugs among young people, and to reduce access to the drugs which cause the greatest harm—particularly heroin and cocaine—by 25 per cent. by 2005 and by 50 per cent. by 2008. A target for 1999–2000 is to increase by 10 per cent. the number of offenders dealt with for supply offences in respect of Class A drugs.

The latest available statistics show that the number of persons found guilty at court of "dealing" (possession with intent to supply unlawfully and unlawful supply) in heroin, cocaine and crack increased significantly between 1997 and 1998. Detailed information is given in the table.

Persons found guilty at court for offences of unlawful

supply/possession with intent to supply unlawfully, involving

cocaine/crack, heroin (Great Britain)1
Drug/offence 1997 1998
Cocaine
Unlawful supply 218 354
Possession with intent to supply unlawfully 411 522
Crack
Unlawful supply 88 137
Possession with intent to supply unlawfully 73 134
Heroin
Unlawful supply 1,009 1,378
Possession with intent to supply unlawfully 1,006 1,311
1 As the same person may be found guilty of more than one offence, rows cannot be added together to produce totals

Source:

Home Office Statistical Bulletins, RDS. Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics, United Kingdom 1997 and 1998