MPS performance against drugs

Report: 13
Date: 22 July 2002
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report provides an update on MPS performance against drug targets (judicial disposals and arrest referral schemes) and information on some other drugs initiatives within the MPS.

A. Recommendations

That members are asked to note the report.

B. Supporting information

2002/03 performance indicators relating to drugs

1. The 2002/03 ministerial priorities continue to emphasise supply of Class A drugs as a priority area:

'to help create safe communities by reducing crime, anti-social behaviour and disorder through effective partnership working, including reducing the availability and use of Class A drugs.'

2. The two Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) relating to drugs have been retained for 2002/03. BVPI 129 measures the number of offenders charged, summonsed or cautioned for offences of supply of Class A drugs. The BVPI continues to focus on the number relating to cocaine and heroin. The MPS measures progress against this BVPI through judicial disposals (JDs) for supply and possession with intent (PWI) to supply Class A drugs.

3. BVPI 137 continues to measure the percentage of adults arrested and referred to drug treatment programmes as a result of arrest referral schemes. An additional element to this BVPI in 2002/03 is data required from the local authority on those referred to drug treatment programmes and who complete the programme.

4. Whilst there are no 2002/03 MPS policing plan targets on drugs issues, over half of the MPS boroughs have set local targets around drug activity as part of the bespoke target setting process. Most targets concern the number of JDs.

JDs for supply and PWI to supply Class A drugs

Performance against 2001/02 target

5. The 2001/02 target to increase the number of JDs for supply and possession with intent (PWI) to supply Class A drugs by 10 % was comfortably met in 2001/02. There were 2,414 JDs, an increase of 21.3% on 2000/01. Whilst the 10% target increase was not met for heroin (12% reduction), the target was achieved for the other Class A focus drugs of cocaine (+34%) and crack (+62%).

Performance 2002/03

6. Although no MPS-wide policing plan target has been set to increase the number of JDs (supply and PWI, Class A) in 2002/03, there has nevertheless been a 35% increase in Apr-May 2002 over the corresponding months in 2001/02. The increase can be attributed to greater activity during May and is illustrated in chart 1 (see Supporting material), which shows the monthly level of JDs since Apr-00.

7. Whilst the level of JDs (supply and PWI, Class A) for cocaine/crack has been maintained at previous levels, JDs for heroin for the first two months of 2002/03 have dropped to the 1999/00 level. Average monthly levels for each focus drug are shown in chart 2 (see Supporting material).

Borough performance

8. Borough performance in terms of JDs (supply and PWI, Class A) is again summarised in the form of a Boston Box. Two Boston Boxes are shown at Appendix 1 (see Supporting material). The first summarises 2001/02 performance and the second reflects emerging performance over the first two months of the 2002/03 planning year.

9. Appendix 1 shows that, for the current year, 21 boroughs are showing increases in the number of JDs over the corresponding months in 2001/02. Of these, eight boroughs (Lambeth, Ealing, Tower Hamlets, Kingston upon Thames, Haringey, Islington, Newham and Hackney) also show a higher than average number of JDs per 100 officers. It is interesting to note that seven of the eight are safer streets boroughs. (Safer streets boroughs have been labelled in red on the Boston Boxes attached at Appendix 1). Whilst there has been no specific safer streets activity to tackle supply of Class A drugs, it may be that enforcement activity in other areas has lead to an increase in these JDs.

10. Some boroughs have held specific operations, for example both Ealing and Tower Hamlets, boroughs showing the greatest year on year percentage increases, have run operations during in May. The three boroughs of Lambeth, Ealing and Tower Hamlets account for one half of the total number of these JDs in May 2002. Tower Hamlets accounted for 46% of the JDs for heroin (supply and PWI) whilst Ealing accounted for 38% of the JDs for crack (supply and PWI). Greenwich had previously shown the highest number of JDs per officer in 2001/02 but had fallen below the average in the current year. Although the borough has reduced its activity in recent months, future operations in this area are planned.

Other trends in MPS drugs statistics

11. Around one third of all JDs for supply and PWI to supply drugs are for Class B and C drugs. In this area there has also been an increase in the number of JDs, although at a lower rate than for Class A drugs. In 2001/02, there was a 5.4% increase in JDs for supply and PWI Class B/C drugs, and in the current year (Apr/May 02) the number of JDs is up 6.0% in the corresponding months in 2001/02.

Arrest Referral Schemes

Performance against target - 2001/02

12. Arrest referral data have been collated up to March 2002 (figures after this point are not complete). During 2001/02, 3,774 arrestees were referred into drug treatment programmes (note this figure may still rise slightly due to late submissions). This is a comfortable achievement of the MPS target to refer 3,000 arrestees on to treatment via drug arrest referral schemes, and represents an increase of around 38% on the number of referrals in 2000/01.

13. The latest Home Office Arrest Referral Statistical Update provides details of arrest referrals from October 2000 to September 2001. Whilst this data is considered by the Home Office to be indicative only, this shows that the number of screening interviews in the MPS is 34 per 1,000 arrestees, compared with 46 across England and Wales as a whole. The referral rate in the MPS is shown as 57%, compared with 58% across England and Wales. Note that the referral rate as a percentage of those assessed and referred has increased in the MPS to 70% for the planning year 2001/02. This is due both to an increase in the number of arrestees assessed and then referred, and a reduction in the number assessed but not referred.

Funding of arrest referrals

14. For the three years to the end of 2002/03, funding for arrest referral schemes has been shared by the MPS and Home Office. Funding has been costed at £1.8m, with both MPS and Home Office contributing £900k. At present, the MPS is in the process of establishing whether Home Office funding will be made available beyond 2002/03.

Referrals - borough

15. Appendix 2 (see Supporting material) provides a borough breakdown of the numbers of arrestees who have had contact with drugs workers, and of these, the number assessed and referred. The table also shows the drug worker establishment for each borough. Chart 3 (see Supporting material) shows the number of referrals into treatment as a percent of adult arrestees. This shows that Kensington and Chelsea have referred that greatest percent of adult arrestees into treatment (3.5%), followed by Westminster (3.1%), Islington (3.1%), Lambeth (2.9%) and Lewisham (2.9%).

16. Boroughs achieving high rates of referral tend to be covered by the same Drug Arrest Referral Schemes. For example, the Westminster Drug Project (WDP) administers the schemes in Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster, Hackney and Newham, whilst the Community Drug Project (CDP) administers the schemes in Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. These schemes tend to be well managed and are performance focussed – for example, initiatives include targets for drug workers, and performance related bonuses.

17. Conversely, the schemes run by Health Authorities have tended to be the poorer performers. Redbridge Health Authority runs the schemes for Barking and Dagenham, Havering, Redbridge and Waltham Forest. Hillingdon Health Trust run the schemes for Hillingdon borough. Referrals as a proportion of adult arrestees on these boroughs are all below 1%.

18. Contracts for the Drug Arrest Referral Schemes are due to end in March 2003. Assuming arrest referral continues in its current form, these can be renewed with existing providers. Schemes which are underperforming may however be put back out to tender based on the decision of the local Drug Action Team.

Compulsory Drug Testing Pilot Scheme

19. As reported previously (para 17 of PSPM/02/78), Hackney is a pilot site for the compulsory drug testing scheme whereby people charged with certain trigger offences are tested for heroin or cocaine/crack use. Trigger offences include robbery, burglary, car theft, other theft and drugs offences.

20. The Hackney pilot commenced mid-Sept 2001. Local figures show that in the eight months up to mid-May 2002, 512 people had been tested. Of these, 64% had tested positive for cocaine/crack or for heroin. A greater number had tested positive for cocaine/crack (57%) than for heroin (35%), with many of these (28%) testing positive for both. A breakdown by trigger offence shows that 66% of those arrested for burglary tested positive for cocaine/crack or heroin (base 98). Corresponding figures for robbery and theft are 50% (base 72) and 72% (base 197) respectively.

21. The pilot has been extended to April 2004 and will include another six (non-MPS) pilot sites. This is a Home Office project and a full evaluation will be carried out on their behalf at the conclusion of the pilot. Home Office have however issued early finding from the three initial pilot site. This showed that between Jul-01 to Sep-01, the proportion of positive tests pilot at Hackney (63%) was higher than at Nottingham (58%) or Stafford and Cannock (47%). The pilot at Hackney includes provision of five gaolers funded by Home Office.

Other initiatives

22. Further initiatives around arrest referral schemes are currently being piloted. A young offender pilot commenced in Oct-01 at Lewisham and includes an additional worker post funded from within existing budgets. The scheme centres on greater involvement from the drug worker, combining referral work and case work, eg in attending court with the young person and in and prison visits. A targeted referrals pilot has also started from Apr-02 in Kensington and Chelsea (and is being extended to Merton). This pilot is being managed by existing drug workers. It prioritises prolific offenders in custody and again involves a greater level of involvement from the drug workers.

23. The MPS is planning to run an advertising campaign in the Autumn. The main focus of the campaign will be to inform the public of the MPS focus in enforcement activity against dealers in Class A drugs. The cost of this will be met from within the DPA's publicity budget for drug issues (£220k budget in 2002/03).

Future actions against drugs

24. The report by the Home Affairs Select Committee (the Government's Drugs Policy: Is it Working) was published in May. Among the key conclusions of the report was support for the Home Secretary's proposal to reclassify cannabis from Class B to Class C. The Home Secretary has just responded on a number of issues on drugs policy arising from the report in an announcement on 10th July. This has included the reclassification of cannabis, and legislation including a Power of Arrest for cannabis possession offences, is due to be put into place by July 2003.

25. In anticipation of the reclassification of cannabis, ACPO have developed a proposal for dealing with cannabis as a Class C drug. This is expected to be circulated for consultation at the end of July. The proposal includes a system of street warnings, formal cautions and summonses.

26. The MPS working group, chaired by DAC Fuller, will be formulating an MPS response to the ACPO model. This will include looking at how the recommendations can be implemented in London, and other related issues such as the roll out of awareness training for officers.

C. Financial implications

Have been covered in main body of text - referrals (paragraph 14); compulsory drug testing (paragraph 21), other initiatives (paragraphs 22 and 23)

D. Background papers

• PSPM/02/78 – MPS performance against drugs
• PSPM/01/57 – Operation Crackdown (update)
• PSPM/01/35 - MPS performance against drugs
• PSPM/01/08 – Drugs Update – Operation Crackdown
• Home Office Findings 176 (Evaluation of drug testing in the criminal justice system in three pilot areas.)
• Home Office Arrest Referral Statistical Update

E. Contact details

Report author: Lesley Nichols, Corporate Performance Analysis Unit, MPS.

For information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

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