§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the objectives and criteria for success were of the Brixton experiment on policing cannabis use. [67191]
Mr. AinsworthThe Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis informs me that the key objective for the Lambeth cannabis pilot study was to allow police officers to devote more time to deal with serious crimes by reducing the amount of time they spent at the police station completing the necessary paperwork associated with persons arrested for the possession of cannabis.
During the initial pilot period, a total of 13:50 hours were saved.
Over the period of the pilot there was a 10 per cent. increase in arrests for Class A dealings, and a 44 per cent. increase in arrests for dealing crack.