DRUG OFFENCES RISE 14PC AFTER POLICY 'SHAMBLES'

The "shambolic and failed" drugs policy of the Government has been
attacked after figures showed that drug offences rose by 14 per cent
in the three months to June this year.

Cannabis was downgraded from Class B to Class C three years ago to
reduce the number of arrests

The Tories said drug abuse was one of the major causes of crime and
that the statistics show Labour "have patently failed to deliver on
their rhetoric".

David Davis, the shadow home secretary, said drug abuse "destroys
lives, wrecks communities, fuels other crime and is a major cause of
our broken society".

"Spiralling drug abuse is a result of a shambolic and failed policy
which needs putting right. Labour, however, are part of the problem,
not the solution," he said.

Overall, drug offences recorded by police increased by 14 per cent
in April to June 2007 on the same period last year, rising from
48,300 offences to 55,000, figures released yesterday showed.

The Home Office said in its report that the increases "in this and
previous quarters coincided with increases in the police use of
powers to issue cannabis warnings". Warnings are given to those from
whom small amounts of cannabis are seized.

Cannabis was downgraded from a Class B to a Class C drug three years
ago to reduce the number of arrests and court appearances for
possession. The Tories have pledged to re-classify the drug.

Police chiefs have expressed concern that the downwards
re-classification sent mixed messages to young people.

Tim Hollis, the chief constable of Humberside and chairman of the
Association of the Chief Police Officers' drugs committee, told The
Daily Telegraph that the use of warnings appeared to have grown as
police tackled the anti-social behaviour involved in public smoking
of cannabis, much of it high-strength "skunk".

He also suggested that warnings, which do not involve a criminal
conviction and record, might be a "simple and easy" way of boosting
"sanction detections" -- the solving of an offence through a caution
or reprimand, for example.

Mr Hollis said: "There is a growing recognition of the harm caused
by cannabis to individuals, particularly young people, but also of
the way that open smoking of cannabis can cause real fears within
communities and undermine public confidence.

"There is also growing evidence of significant investment by
criminals in cannabis factories, not just in the urban centres but
across the country. They want to sell their drugs and they will be
actively encouraging people to take cannabis.

"The third element --and I would not want to overstate it but it has
to be an element -- is that nationally, for the last few years,
there has been a strong drive on improving offenders brought to
justice, with sanction detections."

Mr Hollis added: "If people think the problems caused by cannabis
will be solved by reclassifying it to a B drug they will be
disappointed. It's not that simple."

In Lambeth, south London, where a move towards a softer line on
cannabis began under the former Metropolitan police commander, Brian
Paddick, and other areas there have been crackdowns and even
declarations of "zero tolerance" on cannabis. In these periods,
police are more likely to arrest for cannabis possession.

One zero-tolerance crackdown has taken place in Battersea, close to
Lambeth. The local commander, Chief Supt Stewart Low, said the
policy had been introduced because of concerns about drug dealing
and anti-social behaviour.

The figures also showed that recorded crime levels fell seven per
cent to just under 1,300,000 offences, although England and Wales
still have one of the highest crime rates in Europe.

Recorded levels of violent crime were down eight per cent, including
a 14 per cent drop in "most serious violence."

However, the British Crime Survey, which reflects the experiences of
crime based on a series of interviews, showed a one per cent rise in
violent crime. The Home Office claimed these increases were "not
statistically significant".