DRUG OFFENCES SOAR 21 PER CENT IN A SINGLE YEAR

Drug offences have leapt by 21 per cent in just one year, latest
figures showed yesterday, piling more pressure on Gordon Brown to
reverse the Government's "softly-softly" stance on cannabis.

The number of drugs crimes recorded by police has now leapt by more
than 60 per cent in the three years since Labour relaxed the law on
cannabis possession - downgrading it from Class B to Class C so that
most users no longer face arrest.

Home Office crime figures also show burglary rising by five per cent
year-on-year - reversing a long term fall - and a significant four per
cent rise in gun crime.

Overall crime levels were unchanged over the year, according to the
figures, while there were slight falls in violent crime and car thefts.

Those successes were marred, however, by the huge rise in drug crime
which soared to 55,700 in the three months to September last year - up
by more than a fifth on the previous year and equivalent to more than
600 people every day caught dealing or possessing drugs.

Critics claimed the sharp rise was further evidence that former Home
Secretary David Blunkett's decision to relaxing the law on cannabis
was a serious blunder.

At the time of the controversial reclassification in 2004, the police
counted 34,600 drugs offences between July and September, and since
then the figure has climbed steadily to the present peak of almost
56,000.

The Home Office argues that the trend is due to police officers being
more willing to hand out on-the-spot official cautions to cannabis
users, without facing the paperwork and red-tape connected with
arresting and prosecuting them.

But critics claim that argument no longer explains the continuing
trend three years after the law was relaxed.

Gordon Brown is currently weighing up whether to reverse David
Blunkett's move and to toughen the law by restoring cannabis to Class
B.

Chief police officers, magistrates and a range of medical experts have
backed the move, and ministers are now waiting for the latest report
from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs in the coming weeks.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs will offer its latest
report within the next few weeks.

Pressure has grown for a change following further evidence of the
serious mental health damage which cannabis users are facing as highly
potent "skunk" varieties have become more popular - now accounting for
75 per cent of all drugs seized.

In some parts of the country the number of diagnosed mental disorders
blamed on cannabis use have risen tenfold over the past decade, and
the number of people undergoing treatment for cannabis use has soared
to a record 25,000.

Yesterday's figures also reveal a five per cent year-on-year rise in
domestic burglary, as measured by the British Crime Survey, based on
household interviews - which ministers claim gives the most accurate
picture of crime trends.

Police recorded 67,000 break-ins from July to September - equivalent
to 728 per day, or one every two minutes.

The increase in BCS figures brings to an end a long-term decline in
burglary levels, and will raise fears that increased drug use is
driving a resurgence in thefts from homes.

The BCS results showed overall crime levels were stable, as were
levels of violent crime and vehicle thefts.

Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "These latest official figures
show that Labour is failing to combat both violent crime and its causes.

"Violent crime is fuelled by drugs and Labour's chaotic and confused
policy on drugs.

"Drugs wreck lives, destroy communities and are a major symptom of our
broken society.

"The Government's complacency shows they are part of the problem, not
the solution."

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: "Violent
crime - including, most alarmingly, gun crime - is still far higher
than 10 years ago and has to be tackled much more vigorously.

"Police should be devoting more time to stop and searches for knives
and guns, and the Government needs to clamp down with a major new
effort to stop gun smuggling.

"Nine times more officials are allocated to tackling cigarette
smuggling than gun smuggling, which is a crazy set of priorities."
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said: "These latest crime figures contain
some excellent results and I am particularly pleased that the risk of
being a victim of crime is now at a historically low level."

. FIREARMS offences rose sharply last year to 10,182 - equivalent to
28 gun attacks a day.

The rise came despite massive police efforts to crack down on illegal
firearms, which have been stepped up after a string of fatal shootings
involving children.

In the year to September, overall gun crime was up by 4 per
cent.

Some 3,145 people were shot and injured - equivalent to nine a
day.

A further 7,037, or 19 a day, were either threatened with guns or were
shot at but escaped injury.

Fatal shootings fell from 55 to 49, while injuries rose by 1 per
cent.

The most commonly used weapons were handguns, which featured in 4,284
offences, followed by imitation firearms, used in 2,710 crimes.

Attacks using shotguns rose by 8 per cent to 641, while the category
of "other firearms" - which includes machine-guns - was up 21 per cent
to 1,170.

The figures show the trend for falling gun crime appears to have been
reversed.

Bob Jones, of the Association of Police Authorities, said this was "a
concern".