COUNTY IS TOUGHEST WITH DRUG OFFENDERS
THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO BE JAILED IN CUMBRIA

Cumbrians arrested for cannabis possession are more likely to be fined or
jailed than people elsewhere in Britain.

29% of people arrested for cannabis offences in Cumbria are fined, compared
to 24% nationally. And 2.3% are jailed compared to an average of 2% across
Britain as a whole. Most Cumbrians arrested with cannabis - 57% -are let
off with a police caution. But Cumbria's force is far less lenient than
many others, such as Cleveland (79%) Gloucestershire (74%) and Greater
Manchester (69%)

The national average is 60%, although some forces, such as Durham and West
Yorkshire, caution fewer than 40%.

Despite an influential police foundation report last month, calling for
prosecution to become the exception rather than the rule, Cumbria chief
Constable Collin Phillips is sticking to his pledge to get tough with
users. He said: "possession of cannabis is an offence and Cumbria
Constabulary takes action to prosecute anyone caught breaking the law".

"The success of this is evident in that the number of offences involving
cannabis in Cumbria has fallen from 914 in 1998 to 858 in 1999."

Paul Brown, director of Cumbria Alcohol and Drug Advisory Service,
acknowledged that officers were acting under the law as it stands, but said
that forces appeared to be more lenient.

For the situation to change, There would need to be a debate and a change
in the law.

"Forces in bigger cities bend the rules because cannabis may not be a prime
target,"he said. "I think police time could be better spent on drugs such
as heroin, which causes a lot of harm." Chris Armstong Cumbria's Clerk to
the Justices denied that county J.Ps issued tougher sentences than other
parts of Britain.

He said: "The reason we issue more fines could be because we have more
people coming to court for simple possession offences, rather than
something more serious connected with cannabis. The jail statistic seems to
be insignificant."

Home Office figures show that 743 Cummins were arrested for cannabis
possession in 1998, of which 425 were cautioned.

Of the 318 prosecuted, 213 fined, 36 were discharged and 17 were sent to
jail.