400 cannabis users go free

More than 400 drug users have escaped prosecution for possessing cannabis in the first six months of a pilot scheme in Brixton, Scotland Yard reveals today.

The initiative, which has now been extended until spring, is estimated to have saved 2,000 hours of police time freeing officers to concentrate on arrests for crack and heroin supply. It has also saved potential court costs of £4million.

From July to November 2000, 278 people were arrested for possession in Lambeth. In the same period last year, 381 were cautioned for possessing the drug, rising to an expected 400 by the end of December.

However, some officers are concerned that there is still too much paperwork involved in the caution and confiscation process. Outside forces have also warned that cautions may allow dealers off the hook because searches of home addresses, where more evidence of abuse may be found, are not carried out.

Lambeth police Commander Brian Paddick said today the scheme is proving a success but needs some modifications. He added that officers are still seeking advice as to when to make arrests.

Senior figures at the Yard were initially sceptical about the initiative which was Commander Paddick's own idea, and Met Commissioner Sir John Stevens is monitoring the situation.

The extension of the initiative until spring is expected to be followed by Home Secretary David Blunkett announcing that cannabis is being downgraded from a Class B drug to Class C alongside steroids and sleeping pills.

This means anyone caught in the street with a small amount of the drug will not be arrested.

Over the next two months, the results of the initiative will be evaluated by specialist Metropolitan police consultants, academics and the Police Foundation. Frontline officers will be interviewed for their opinions.

Mr Paddick said: "I think it's been successful because now officers can deal with cannabis quicker and get back on the streets, placing the emphasis on aiming to arrest people for crack cocaine."

The experiment has been widely interpreted as police taking a softer line on people caught in possession.

Mr Paddick has argued that the penalty for people caught with the drug is now more direct: although they are less likely to end up in court, they are far more likely to lose the drugs they have paid for.