Justice written question – answered at on 12 March 2010.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) arrests, (b) prosecutions, (c) convictions and (d) cautions of (i) men and (ii) women in each police force area for drug offences relating to each type of drug there were in each year since 1997.
The number of offenders cautioned, defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts by drug class, sex and police force area, 1997 to 2008 (latest available) can be viewed in tables 1 and 2 that have been placed in the House Library.
Court data for 2009 are planned for publication in the autumn, 2010.
The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person, robbery and drug offences.
Data on arrests for drug offences from 1999-2000 (previous data unavailable) to 2007-08 (latest available) are provided in tables 3 and 4 as follows. It is not possible from these centrally reported data, to identify the specific drugs involved in the arrests.
Table 3: Number of males arrested for drug offences by sex and police force area, England and Wales, 1999-2000 to 2007-08 | |||||||||
Males | |||||||||
Force name | 1999-2000( 1) | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Avon and Somerset | 1,436 | 1,735 | 1,698 | 1,670 | 1,433 | 1,231 | 1,229 | 1,444 | 1,892 |
Bedfordshire | 892 | 775 | 850 | 789 | 695 | 550 | 526 | 471 | 652 |
Cambridgeshire | 725 | 619 | 694 | 585 | 543 | 439 | 581 | 751 | 910 |
Cheshire | 1,415 | 1,250 | 1,166 | 1,288 | 873 | 846 | 584 | 661 | 828 |
Cleveland | 1,242 | 1,043 | 1,468 | 1,499 | 1,383 | n/a | 1,138 | 878 | 920 |
Cumbria | 1,103 | 761 | 755 | 861 | 785 | 770 | 764 | 767 | 717 |
Derbyshire | 1,180 | 1,020 | 1,046 | 1,214 | 1,288 | 1,095 | 810 | 691 | 861 |
Devon and Cornwall | 2,059 | 1,903 | 2,456 | 2,478 | 2,250 | 1,554 | 1,602 | 1,544 | 1,806 |
Dorset | 1,111 | 948 | 1,036 | 946 | 910 | 820 | 839 | 899 | 908 |
Durham | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 868 | 797 | 918 | 695 | 648 |
Essex | 1,704 | 1,833 | 1,438 | 1,625 | 1,399 | 959 | 877 | 966 | 1,992 |
Gloucestershire | 904 | 903 | 893 | 890 | 794 | 542 | 538 | 459 | 681 |
Greater Manchester | 4,169 | 3,992 | 3,703 | 4,481 | 4,413 | 3,502 | 3,517 | 3,734 | 4,597 |
Hampshire | 3,392 | 2,695 | 2,668 | 2,628 | 2,587 | 2,061 | 1,979 | 1,559 | 2,077 |
Hertfordshire | 946 | 1,106 | 1,015 | 1,053 | 1,125 | 1,216 | 1,335 | 1,383 | 1,794 |
Humberside | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,200 | 984 | 870 | 999 | 1,083 |
Kent | 2,663 | 2,072 | 2,077 | 2,144 | 1,772 | 1,343 | 1,658 | 1,709 | 2,393 |
Lancashire | 2,881 | 2,812 | 2,898 | 3,616 | 3,165 | 2,927 | 2,955 | 2,867 | 3,742 |
Leicestershire | 1,200 | 1,120 | 1,396 | 1,624 | 1,158 | 940 | 897 | 835 | 891 |
Lincolnshire | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 238 | 776 | 717 |
London, City of | n/a | n/a | 440 | 640 | 577 | 279 | 341 | 374 | 409 |
Merseyside | 4,990 | 4,741 | 4,675 | 6,650 | 6,275 | 4,231 | 4,100 | 3,502 | 6,164 |
Metropolitan Police | 22,807 | 20,348 | 21,417 | 25,823 | 21,771 | 14,489 | 16,342 | 17,598 | 20,505 |
Norfolk | 1,201 | 899 | 881 | 905 | 921 | 812 | 709 | 782 | 1,008 |
Northamptonshire | 670 | 603 | 545 | 507 | 439 | 589 | 561 | 538 | 538 |
Northumbria | 4,044 | 4,153 | 4,642 | 5,103 | 4,609 | 3,723 | 3,882 | 3,852 | 3,142 |
North Yorkshire | 1,295 | 1,132 | 1,359 | 1,470 | 1,471 | n/a | n/a | 842 | 994 |
Nottinghamshire | 1,363 | 1,621 | 1,481 | 1,604 | 1,824 | 1,284 | n/a | 1,670 | 2,148 |
South Yorkshire | 2,984 | 2,935 | 2,797 | 2,895 | 2,327 | 1,649 | 1,623 | 1,742 | 2,083 |
Staffordshire | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,378 | 1,119 | 931 | 1,336 | 1,539 |
Suffolk | 858 | 695 | 633 | 752 | 813 | 664 | 712 | 704 | 589 |
Surrey | 1,059 | 1,354 | 1,374 | 1,306 | 1,015 | 835 | 889 | 799 | 1,108 |
Sussex | 327 | 1,481 | 1,892 | 2,003 | 1,717 | 1,271 | 1,610 | 1,488 | 1,868 |
Thames Valley | 3,305 | 3,033 | 3,192 | 3,257 | 3,232 | 3,910 | 4,299 | 4,275 | 4,160 |
Warwickshire | 605 | 413 | 462 | 457 | 477 | 334 | 316 | 342 | 307 |
West Mercia | 1,488 | 1,263 | 1,166 | 1,069 | 1,090 | 905 | 1,009 | 972 | 960 |
West Midlands | n/a | n/a | n/a | 6,209 | 5,716 | 3,102 | 3,614 | 3,410 | 4,342 |
West Yorkshire | 4,353 | 3,954 | 3,574 | 4,393 | 3,958 | 3,273 | 3,839 | 3,701 | 3,345 |
Wiltshire | 648 | 601 | 576 | 473 | 516 | 326 | 374 | 344 | 324 |
Dyfed Powys | n/a | 1,376 | 2,343 | 2,681 | 2,031 | 1,176 | 1,323 | 1,138 | 1,126 |
Gwent | n/a | n/a | n/a | 1,534 | 1,250 | 556 | 643 | 755 | 733 |
North Wales | 1,265 | 1,089 | 1,106 | 1,560 | 1,854 | 1,006 | 776 | 1,242 | 1,306 |
South Wales | 556 | 2,609 | 3,075 | 2,931 | 2,386 | 1,307 | 1,802 | 1,797 | 2,035 |
England and Wales(1) | 105,400 | 97,400 | 101,500 | 114,700 | 97,800 | 72,500 | 76,300 | 77,291 | 90,842 |
n/a = Data not available (1) Figures for England and Wales from 1999-2000 to 2005-06 are estimated to take account of missing data for some forces, additionally, data for 1999-2000 is of lower quality than subsequent years due to it being the first year data on arrests were collected. |
Table 4: Number of females arrested for drug offences by sex and police force area, England and Wales, 1999-2000 to 2007-08 | |||||||||
Females | |||||||||
Force name | 1999-2000( 1) | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
Avon and Somerset | 248 | 328 | 317 | 340 | 305 | 269 | 267 | 247 | 300 |
Bedfordshire | 101 | 129 | 119 | 116 | 116 | 104 | 86 | 53 | 83 |
Cambridgeshire | 117 | 116 | 110 | 126 | 103 | 86 | 116 | 159 | 180 |
Cheshire | 207 | 141 | 110 | 139 | 108 | 117 | 121 | 123 | 124 |
Cleveland | 252 | 216 | 377 | 471 | 435 | n/a | 332 | 251 | 291 |
Cumbria | 194 | 186 | 121 | 154 | 152 | 157 | 148 | 164 | 116 |
Derbyshire | 173 | 137 | 170 | 163 | 229 | 220 | 149 | 128 | 172 |
Devon and Cornwall | 407 | 344 | 485 | 554 | 485 | 352 | 381 | 341 | 398 |
Dorset | 223 | 176 | 213 | 168 | 189 | 142 | 212 | 231 | 200 |
Durham | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 167 | 163 | 193 | 160 | 190 |
Essex | 350 | 275 | 205 | 225 | 186 | 177 | 137 | 164 | 316 |
Gloucestershire | 183 | 150 | 173 | 195 | 138 | 124 | 101 | 84 | 144 |
Greater Manchester | 622 | 601 | 512 | 655 | 713 | 632 | 630 | 535 | 726 |
Hampshire | 376 | 364 | 453 | 461 | 434 | 397 | 396 | 317 | 394 |
Hertfordshire | 135 | 145 | 150 | 146 | 176 | 177 | 227 | 205 | 250 |
Humberside | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 284 | 258 | 212 | 210 | 259 |
Kent | 499 | 316 | 337 | 377 | 368 | 305 | 315 | 331 | 389 |
Lancashire | 434 | 373 | 418 | 594 | 483 | 422 | 432 | 413 | 508 |
Leicestershire | 181 | 183 | 204 | 198 | 168 | 163 | 169 | 153 | 136 |
Lincolnshire | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 43 | 130 | 111 |
London, City of | n/a | n/a | 28 | 36 | 58 | 41 | 33 | 29 | 32 |
Merseyside | 504 | 463 | 488 | 667 | 632 | 347 | 188 | 380 | 603 |
Metropolitan Police | 2,478 | 2,182 | 2,155 | 2,284 | 2,085 | 1,650 | 1,609 | 1,735 | 1,926 |
Norfolk | 206 | 163 | 139 | 169 | 196 | 200 | 155 | 173 | 191 |
Northamptonshire | 136 | 95 | 113 | 115 | 114 | 122 | 124 | 100 | 90 |
Northumbria | 675 | 678 | 831 | 859 | 781 | 698 | 624 | 614 | 590 |
North Yorkshire | 208 | 200 | 190 | 237 | 352 | n/a | n/a | 188 | 240 |
Nottinghamshire | 264 | 251 | 255 | 258 | 349 | 301 | n/a | 307 | 413 |
South Yorkshire | 602 | 551 | 483 | 506 | 595 | 447 | 428 | 415 | 459 |
Staffordshire | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | 238 | 231 | 183 | 212 | 269 |
Suffolk | 154 | 99 | 94 | 125 | 192 | 166 | 143 | 131 | 114 |
Surrey | 153 | 178 | 172 | 169 | 144 | 145 | 156 | 139 | 161 |
Sussex | 62 | 285 | 390 | 392 | 397 | 279 | 338 | 365 | 438 |
Thames Valley | 522 | 518 | 506 | 516 | 613 | 571 | 624 | 582 | 579 |
Warwickshire | 76 | 41 | 59 | 64 | 55 | 60 | 63 | 45 | 48 |
West Mercia | 247 | 204 | 200 | 170 | 207 | 185 | 204 | 167 | 157 |
West Midlands | n/a | n/a | n/a | 675 | 663 | 391 | 435 | 395 | 424 |
West Yorkshire | 712 | 775 | 728 | 722 | 752 | 518 | 782 | 679 | 533 |
Wiltshire | 122 | 90 | 95 | 69 | 63 | 62 | 72 | 64 | 75 |
Dyfed Powys | n/a | 250 | 385 | 461 | 377 | 218 | 228 | 218 | 225 |
Gwent | n/a | n/a | n/a | 185 | 130 | 71 | 86 | 92 | 96 |
North Wales | 188 | 150 | 144 | 239 | 282 | 181 | 159 | 228 | 217 |
South Wales | 99 | 443 | 656 | 640 | 529 | 387 | 434 | 445 | 523 |
England and Wales(1) | 15,700 | 13,900 | 15,100 | 16,400 | 15,200 | 12,200 | 12,300 | 12,102 | 13,690 |
n/a = Data not available (1) Figures for England and Wales from 1999-2000 to 2005-06 are estimated to take account of missing data for some forces, additionally, data for 1999-2000 is of lower quality than subsequent years due to it being the first year data on arrests were collected. |
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