'POLICE CANNOT CONDONE THE USE OF DRUGS'

THERE will be much debate should Lothian and Borders Police decide to
push ahead with a plan for a drugs amnesty in the city centre.

Inspector Andy Gilhooley, who runs the city centre police team, says
today that he is favour of such a move. But deliberately to choose not
to enforce the law has implications beyond exercising common sense,
and some will question whether the police have the right to do so.

It is understandable that the Force should seek to keep more officers
on the streets at a time when the city centre is at its busiest.
Doubtless many people would rather see an increased presence,
particularly at night, rather than have officers tied up for hours
down at the station filling in paperwork for a minor arrest.

But in view of the ongoing drug problem in the city, others will be
critical that by turning a blind eye to possession, the police are
encouraging the use of drugs when users do not run the risk of arrest.

Were the amnesty just to apply to someone having a fly puff at a
cannabis joint, many would have little argument - but to tell officers
not to apprehend those caught in possession of small amounts of Class
A drugs such as cocaine, heroin and ecstasy will be too much for most.

Even small amounts can be lethal, particularly when combined with
alcohol. The police are generally to be commended for not giving up
control of the streets to drugs. In the past ten years, seizures in
the Lothians alone have risen by 300 per cent, while in Scotland
almost UKP50 million worth of drugs were confiscated. But even these
successes have done little to stem their supply and
consumption.

Less than a month ago, a single consignment of crack and heroin with a
street value of UKP100,000 was seized at the city's Waverley Station.

The force recently announced that 2500 cannabis plants were
confiscated last year - five times the number seized in 2003.

These increases are reflected in the numbers of drug users receiving
help to beat their addiction. Due largely to more cocaine and crack
being available, there are now a record 6000 addicts registered.

As the problem continues to grow, some will question whether there
should be any approach by the police other than zero tolerance.

At the very best, police will be accused of sending out mixed
messages. They cannot condemn the use of drugs one minute and condone
it the next. It is likely that this is being done purely to ease the
pressure on personnel at a time when manpower levels will be lower
than normal. So some of those extra 1000 officers the SNP promised
wouldn't have gone amiss.