'SOFTLY SOFTLY' SCHEME ON SOFT DRUGS LETS OFF HUNDREDS WITH A CAUTION

Turning a "blind eye" to cannabis use has saved 2,000 hours of police time
since the pilot scheme was introduced last July, Scotland Yard has said.

The trial scheme in the south London borough of Lambeth has resulted in
more than 400 drug users escaping prosecution for possession. The scheme is
also estimated to have avoided potential court costs running into hundreds
of thousands of pounds.

The Metropolitan Police, which is extending the pilot until spring, said
that since the trial began it had cautioned about 75 drug users a month.

In the period from July to the end of November, 381 were dealt with under
the scheme, which is centred on the Brixton area. In the same period in
2000, 278 drug users were arrested and taken to court for cannabis
possession. Each cannabis arrest results in about five hours of extra work
for police officers and can cost UKP500 in court time if the defendant
pleads not guilty.

Harry Fletcher, the assistant general secretary of the National Association
of Probation Officers, said the south London scheme had been a success.
"Cannabis use and possession is a social matter, not a criminal one. This
approach has freed police to pursue serious offenders."

David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, has been impressed by the scheme and
has told MPs that he wants cannabis possession to be made into a
non-arrestable offence across the country. The Advisory Council on the
Misuse of Drugs is expected to give approval for such a change by spring.

However, some police officers are said to be unhappy that they still have
to complete considerable amounts of paperwork even for the new "caution and
confiscation" approach.

Other police forces have voiced reservations, saying the scheme denies
officers the opportunity to search offenders' houses and find evidence of
more serious crimes.

Commander Brian Paddick, the head of Lambeth police, accepted that the
scheme would benefit from some modification. He said: "I think it's been
successful because officers can deal with cannabis quicker and get back on
the streets, placing the emphasis on aiming to arrest people for possessing
and dealing crack cocaine."

A team of consultants appointed by Scotland Yard and the Police Foundation
is evaluating the scheme and will report by the end of February.