Clause 29
Policing and Crime Bill
9:15 am
Sally Keeble (Northampton North, Labour)
My reading of the clause is that it relates to possession; so it is like dealing with possession of an offensive weapon. As an example, I once saw the trial of a Rasta for having a stick which could be either a religious object or an offensive weapon. The offence was not using it but having it. In just the same way, a kid could be walking along with several cans of lager, and the issue would be whether he had them with fair reason—perhaps because he was going to a party—or whether he was going to drink them all in a park and cause havoc. The possession is the thing; not the consumption.