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Driving Under Influence: Drugs

Volume 472: debated on Thursday 21 February 2008

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests for drug-driving resulted in a custodial sentence (a) in England and (b) in each police authority area in each year since 1997. (186025)

The data on arrests collected by the Ministry of Justice do not include information on the outcomes in court of those arrests.

Information is available on convictions and custodial sentences for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs by police force area from 1997 to 2005. This is provided in the following tables. 2006 data will be available later this year.

The data provided cover both drink and drugs offences.

Findings of guilt and immediate custodial sentences at all courts for offences of driving etc. after consuming alcohol or taking drugs1 by police force area, 1997 to 2005

Number of offences

1997

1998

1999

Police force area

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Avon and Somerset

2,812

163

2,566

157

2,728

165

Bedfordshire

1,146

119

1,060

96

869

87

Cambridgeshire

1,092

56

1,060

62

941

43

Cheshire

1,969

97

1,903

119

1,827

133

Cleveland

926

61

870

63

811

57

Cumbria

931

49

856

51

871

37

Derbyshire

1,612

147

1,547

202

1,463

181

Devon and Cornwall

2,342

91

2,265

127

2,277

112

Dorset

1,214

93

1,186

88

1,120

96

Durham

1,044

66

1,035

53

1,137

81

Essex

2,736

228

2,438

233

2,528

261

Gloucestershire

1,067

48

985

36

889

51

Greater Manchester

4,806

440

4,715

453

4,850

464

Hampshire

3,774

243

3,597

231

3,725

213

Hertfordshire

1,670

90

1,672

91

1,679

90

Humberside

1,274

76

1,358

87

1,323

97

Kent

2,321

97

2,627

155

2,633

133

Lancashire

3,389

224

2,945

178

3,010

184

Leicestershire

1,648

183

1,485

140

1,624

188

Lincolnshire

1,088

47

979

36

941

44

London, City of

436

8

301

9

236

5

Merseyside

2,719

304

2,451

326

2,137

296

Metropolitan Police

16,165

1,270

13,889

1,050

12,414

838

Norfolk

1,116

49

1,118

43

1,010

64

Northamptonshire

1,107

109

1,062

73

1,058

91

Northumbria

2,625

184

2,457

194

2,463

229

North Yorkshire

1,365

77

1,205

77

1,124

60

Nottinghamshire

2,031

255

1,804

247

1,802

262

South Yorkshire

2,296

204

2,002

178

1,927

149

Staffordshire3

2,036

132

1,955

140

1,711

143

Suffolk

1,050

53

1,042

60

1,089

71

Surrey

1,380

64

1,328

58

1,417

47

Sussex

2,373

110

2,113

113

2,224

120

Thames Valley

4,070

215

3,896

195

3,725

216

Warwickshire

837

44

784

53

856

38

West Mercia

1,947

87

1,794

97

1,747

114

West Midlands

6,351

598

5,582

532

4,775

532

West Yorkshire

3,953

394

3,669

329

3,597

358

Wiltshire

1,043

27

1,108

39

1,009

45

England

93,761

6,802

86,709

6,471

83,567

6,395

Dyfed Powys

1,029

44

995

38

944

48

Gwent

1,166

61

1,203

84

1,079

78

North Wales

1,354

96

1,306

95

1,248

94

South Wales

2,892

257

2,903

239

2,526

282

Wales

6,441

458

6,407

456

5,797

502

England and Wales

100,202

7,260

93,116

6,927

89,364

6,897

Number of offences

2000

2001

2002

Police force area

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Avon and Somerset

2,462

152

2,197

129

2,401

124

Bedfordshire

797

89

914

79

955

82

Cambridgeshire

793

41

813

51

852

41

Cheshire

1,652

122

1,529

96

1,993

103

Cleveland

777

56

887

77

921

71

Cumbria

806

50

761

51

768

37

Derbyshire

1,417

126

1,411

140

1,465

164

Devon and Cornwall

2,199

104

2,369

128

2,441

95

Dorset

1,115

84

1,150

91

1,199

83

Durham

1,124

76

1,097

86

1,136

68

Essex

2,462

237

2,456

264

2,522

267

Gloucestershire

804

37

865

39

926

44

Greater Manchester

4,801

428

4,715

454

4,720

474

Hampshire

3,472

244

3,464

235

3,846

243

Hertfordshire

1,552

98

1,666

94

1,894

90

Humberside

1,371

128

1,259

126

1,395

113

Kent

2,592

134

2,575

165

2,745

152

Lancashire

2,584

163

2,304

148

2,599

159

Leicestershire

1,531

152

1,546

140

1,659

140

Lincolnshire

816

48

877

60

847

56

London, City of

162

4

162

10

221

12

Merseyside

2,128

286

2,195

217

2,293

216

Metropolitan Police

11,801

891

11,260

928

12,905

927

Norfolk

935

45

1,143

75

1,220

55

Northamptonshire

782

90

399

65

236

35

Northumbria

2,621

215

2,529

217

2,588

188

North Yorkshire

1,073

67

1,066

55

1,119

63

Nottinghamshire

1,722

210

1,598

187

1,420

129

South Yorkshire

2,122

170

2,020

159

1,945

165

Staffordshire3

n/a

n/a

1,513

136

1,704

143

Suffolk

902

74

920

43

1,105

79

Surrey

1,539

61

1,592

65

1,614

68

Sussex

2,112

136

2,358

128

2,306

149

Thames Valley

3,496

212

3,275

210

4,317

219

Warwickshire

786

42

880

33

841

40

West Mercia

1,631

101

1,740

91

1,719

93

West Midlands

4,559

451

4,914

471

5,050

438

West Yorkshire

3,375

287

3,220

331

3,564

268

Wiltshire

930

28

1,045

53

1,005

54

England

79,671

6,076

78,684

6,127

84,456

5,947

Dyfed Powys

858

45

867

36

927

47

Gwent

1,211

99

1,152

76

1,074

74

North Wales

1,332

92

1,227

87

1,270

71

South Wales

2,757

255

2,812

295

2,761

236

Wales

6,158

491

6,058

494

6,032

428

England and Wales

85,829

6,567

84,742

6,621

90,488

6,375

Number of offences

2003

2004

2005

Police force area

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Findings of guilt

Immediate custody2

Avon and Somerset

2,666

167

2,692

145

2,595

127

Bedfordshire

1,072

72

1,028

65

1,050

81

Cambridgeshire

933

56

1,083

52

1,214

65

Cheshire

1,905

110

2,128

106

1,709

113

Cleveland

981

61

1,071

60

959

44

Cumbria

843

37

907

50

853

54

Derbyshire

1,617

168

1,874

143

1,645

118

Devon and Cornwall

2,667

121

2,560

120

2,446

102

Dorset

1,264

73

1,239

52

1,207

63

Durham

1,170

77

1,277

80

1,168

56

Essex

2,622

311

2,853

349

2,549

262

Gloucestershire

890

37

913

38

834

29

Greater Manchester

4,743

437

4,811

379

4,653

317

Hampshire

3,663

234

3,743

199

3,372

189

Hertfordshire

1,904

78

1,881

94

1,836

87

Humberside

1,445

150

1,623

112

1,592

117

Kent

2,811

179

3,010

155

2,907

157

Lancashire

2,652

146

2,706

125

2,723

136

Leicestershire

1,725

143

1,754

145

1,631

122

Lincolnshire

1,111

42

1,209

46

1,176

36

London, City of

230

4

169

5

184

4

Merseyside

2,687

215

2,849

261

2,964

252

Metropolitan Police

12,621

922

13,227

832

12,887

766

Norfolk

1,274

59

1,240

64

1,265

50

Northamptonshire

799

65

922

73

853

67

Northumbria

2,747

187

2,675

183

2,561

107

North Yorkshire

1,194

51

1,131

40

1,244

51

Nottinghamshire

1,644

149

1,669

111

1,626

112

South Yorkshire

2,089

125

2,224

140

2,220

124

Staffordshire (3)

1,733

141

1,733

124

1,718

111

Suffolk

1,213

66

1,332

89

1,103

59

Surrey

1,464

44

1,425

51

1,503

53

Sussex

2,430

120

2,368

104

2,379

108

Thames Valley

3,884

159

3,539

190

3,474

181

Warwickshire

918

33

845

23

871

28

West Mercia

1,797

100

1,689

103

1,917

96

West Midlands

5,233

420

5,584

423

5,693

347

West Yorkshire

3,720

260

3,897

276

3,863

163

Wiltshire

1,031

62

1,024

39

1,038

41

England

87,392

5,881

89,904

5,646

87,482

4,995

Dyfed Powys

995

46

986

47

932

36

Gwent

1,149

94

1,188

69

1,129

74

North Wales

1,326

76

1,349

75

1,364

68

South Wales

2,840

211

2,811

222

2,811

199

Wales

6,310

427

6,334

413

6,236

377

England and Wales

93,702

6,308

96,238

6,059

93,718

5,372

n/a = Not available.

1 Data provided cover summary offences of driving etc after consuming alcohol or taking drugs (which cannot reliably be distinguished separately).

2 Immediate Custody includes sentences of Secure Training Order, Detention & Training Order, Young Offender Institution and Unsuspended sentence of imprisonment.

3 Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table.

Notes:

1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete.

2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when these data are used.