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Crime: Drugs

Volume 495: debated on Tuesday 7 July 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in Merseyside aged (a) under 18 and (b) between 18 and 24-years-old have been (i) cautioned and (ii) prosecuted for drug-related offences in each of the last five years. (283190)

Information provided by the Ministry of Justice, showing the number of persons cautioned or proceeded against at magistrates courts for drug related offences in Merseyside police force area, broken down by age group, from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in Tables 1 and 2. Information for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.

Table 1: Number of offenders cautioned for drug related offences in the Merseyside police force area, broken down by age group, 2003 to 20071, 2, 3

10 to 17-years-old

18 to 24-years-old

2003

421

506

2004

487

306

2005

293

177

2006

223

216

2007

610

682

1 The cautions statistics cover simple and conditional cautions, reprimands and warnings. They relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence.

2 From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals.

3 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 police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

Source:

Office for Criminal Justice Reform—Evidence and Analysis Unit.

Table2: Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts of drug related offences, in the Merseyside police force area, broken down by age group, 2003 to 2007 1, 2

10 to 17-years-old

18 to 24-years-old

2003

393

1,128

2004

297

650

2005

249

432

2006

222

501

2007

425

1,063

1 The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.

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 those data are used.

Source:

Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.