THREAT OF POLICE REVOLT OVER CANNABIS POLICY

The government faces the possibility of a revolt from within the police
force over plans to relax its policy on cannabis.

A plan to extend an innovative pilot scheme in Lambeth, south London, to
throughout the capital - and eventually the country - has been put on hold
after rank-and-file officers in the area expressed their dissatisfaction
with it.

Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner has also taken into
account internal criticism of the scheme from police commanders outside
Lambeth.

Under the scheme, introduced last June by Brian Paddick, the reformist
Lambeth police commander, those caught in possession have not faced
prosecution.

Although the pilot scheme was modified so that those issued with a warning
or a caution more than four times could be arrested, it was still more
liberal than anywhere else in the country, and was more in line with some
countries in mainland Europe.

David Blunkett, home secretary, referred to it last September when he
announced plans to reclassify cannabis from a class B to a class C drug -
the same classification as anti-depressants.

The government is waiting for both the results of an attitude survey of the
local population conducted by the Police Foundation, a think-tank, as well
as for scientific advice from Home Office advisers.

The Police Foundation is thought to support declassification. But the
government is having to weigh up the advice of some reformers against the
counter-offensive of reactionary sectors of the police confronting Mr
Blunkett over his pay offer.

According to police sources, out of 800 officers in Lambeth asked to
comment on the scheme in a survey commissioned by the Metropolitan Police,
only about 50 are thought to have replied - and most of these were critical
of the scheme.

The Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file police officers,
meanwhile has told a House of Commons select committee that the scheme has
led to drug users and dealers openly defying officers on duty.

The closest the survey comes to justifying the scheme is thought to be in a
finding that police hours saved by the scrapping of most cannabis-related
arrests in Lambeth were equivalent to the annual salary of two officers a year.

Mr Paddick remains a strong advocate of declassification as part of a broad
overall reform of drugs policy and believes that his scheme has made better
use of police resources and is bringing the police force into line with
public attitudes.