§ Mr. Jim CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on progress made on the new drug policy in Brixton; [51615]
(2) what plans he has to extend the drug scheme in Brixton to the rest of the country; [51614]
(3) when he last met police representatives to discuss the drug policy in Brixton; and what was concluded. [51616]
§ Mr. Bob Ainsworth[holding answer 24 April 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has not met police representatives to discuss the drug policy in Brixton, but he has been following the progress of the Lambeth cannabis pilot very closely. I have met officers in Brixton additionally, officials from the Home Department meet regularly with representatives from the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Metropolitan police to discuss this and other issues.
The Home Secretary recognises that it is important to address policing cannabis issues such as those raised by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, so as not only to bring consistency to policing practice on the streets but also to make the most effective use of police time.
I understand that the Metropolitan police are continuing their evaluation of the policy being operated in Lambeth to assess more accurately its precise impact. I further understand that the Metropolitan police have no plans to extend the operational pilot to other areas in advance of a full evaluation of all the issues being available.