Hansard

Driving Under Influence: Cycling

Volume 498: debated on Tuesday 3 November 2009

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Andrew Stunell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were (a) arrested, (b) charged and (c) convicted of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs while in charge of a bicycle in each police authority area in England and Wales in each of the last five years. (296445)

Mr. Alan Campbell

Information showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the offences “Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs” under section 30 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act and “Being drunk in charge of a carriage (a bicycle is a carriage within the meaning of this Act), horse, cattle or steam engine” under section 12 of the 1872 Licensing Act, in England and Wales from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the following tables. Data for 2008 are planned for publication at the end of January 2010.

The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. 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 and robbery. The alcohol related offences presented in the table are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.

The Ministry of Justice do not centrally collect charging data; proceeded against information has been provided in lieu.

Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the offences “Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs”1 (section 30 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act) and “Being drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage2, horse, cattle or steam Engine” (section 12 of the 1872 Licensing Act), in England and Wales, broken down by force3, 2003 to 20074, 5

Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs1

Proceeded against

Found guilty

Force

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

13713

Avon and Somerset

1

2

3

3

—

1

2

3

3

—

Bedfordshire

—

2

—

—

—

—

2

—

—

—

Cambridgeshire

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

City of London

1

—

—

1

—

1

—

—

1

—

Cleveland

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

Cumbria

1

1

2

1

—

1

1

2

1

—

Derbyshire

1

2

1

1

2

1

2

1

—

1

Devon and Cornwall

2

—

—

1

1

2

—

—

1

1

Dorset

1

1

1

1

—

1

1

1

1

—

Durham

1

—

1

2

—

1

—

1

1

—

Essex

—

2

1

3

—

—

2

—

3

—

Greater Manchester

7

2

1

—

2

6

2

1

—

1

Hampshire

4

3

2

3

1

3

2

2

2

1

Hertfordshire

1

2

8

1

1

1

2

8

1

1

Humberside

3

—

1

1

2

1

—

1

1

2

Kent

2

—

—

2

—

1

—

—

2

—

Lancashire

—

2

1

1

1

—

2

1

1

—

Leicestershire

1

—

1

—

—

1

—

1

—

—

Lincolnshire

—

—

—

1

2

—

—

—

1

1

Merseyside

—

2

1

2

4

—

2

1

2

4

Metropolitan Police

4

4

3

5

2

4

3

1

4

2

Norfolk

—

1

1

1

—

—

—

1

1

—

North Yorkshire

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

Northumbria

7

6

7

6

4

6

4

5

5

4

Nottinghamshire

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

South Yorkshire

1

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

Staffordshire

—

—

—

2

—

—

—

—

2

—

Suffolk

2

1

—

—

2

2

1

—

—

1

Surrey

2

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

Sussex

1

1

2

2

—

1

1

2

2

—

Thames Valley

1

—

1

—

1

1

—

1

—

—

Warwickshire

—

—

—

2

—

—

—

—

2

—

West Mercia

1

3

2

3

3

1

3

2

3

3

West Midlands

1

1

3

2

7

1

1

3

1

5

West Yorkshire

—

1

1

1

1

—

1

—

1

—

Wiltshire

1

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

Dyfed-Powys

—

3

3

3

1

—

3

3

2

1

Gwent

1

—

3

—

—

1

—

2

—

—

North Wales

3

—

—

2

—

3

—

—

—

—

South Wales

4

2

—

—

1

1

2

—

—

1

England and Wales

55

45

51

55

40

43

40

44

46

31

Being drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage2, horse, cattle or steam engine

Proceeded against

Found guilty

Force

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

14102

Avon and Somerset

1

2

1

—

1

—

2

1

—

—

Bedfordshire

1

—

1

1

—

1

—

1

1

—

Cambridgeshire

—

1

—

2

—

—

1

—

2

—

Cheshire

—

—

—

4

—

—

—

—

4

—

City of London

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

Cleveland

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

Cumbria

1

4

4

1

—

1

4

4

1

—

Derbyshire

—

—

—

4

1

—

—

—

2

1

Durham

1

—

4

2

—

1

—

4

2

—

Essex

—

2

2

1

1

—

1

2

1

1

Gloucestershire

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

Greater Manchester

1

2

1

2

1

1

1

1

2

1

Hampshire

6

1

—

1

1

3

1

—

1

1

Hertfordshire

—

2

—

1

1

—

1

—

1

1

Kent

1

—

1

—

1

1

—

1

—

1

Lancashire

2

2

2

2

1

1

1

—

2

—

Leicestershire

—

1

1

—

—

—

1

1

—

—

Lincolnshire

—

—

1

1

—

—

—

1

—

—

Merseyside

1

3

3

4

1

1

3

2

2

1

Metropolitan Police

8

5

15

8

8

6

4

15

6

4

Norfolk

—

—

—

2

1

—

—

—

2

1

North Yorkshire

—

6

2

3

2

—

5

2

3

2

Northamptonshire

—

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

Northumbria

5

16

14

14

12

5

14

13

13

10

Nottinghamshire

—

—

2

1

—

—

—

2

—

—

South Yorkshire

—

—

—

—

2

—

—

—

—

2

Staffordshire

1

1

1

1

—

1

—

—

—

—

Suffolk

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

Surrey

1

—

—

1

—

1

—

—

1

—

Sussex

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

Thames Valley

1

1

—

1

—

1

1

—

—

—

Warwickshire

—

1

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

West Mercia

2

3

4

2

2

2

2

4

1

2

West Midlands

4

6

4

1

2

3

6

4

1

1

West Yorkshire

2

1

—

4

—

2

—

—

1

—

Wiltshire

2

2

1

1

—

2

2

1

1

—

Dyfed-Powys

—

1

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

—

North Wales

2

—

—

—

—

1

—

—

—

—

England and Wales

43

64

65

67

40

34

51

60

51

31

— = Nil.

1 The number of persons proceeded against and found guilty for driving under the influence of drinks or drugs cannot be separately identified under this statute.

2 A bicycle, whether ridden or pushed, is a carriage within the meaning of this Act. The number of persons proceeded against or found guilty of being drunk in charge of a carriage cannot be separated from those involving a horse, cattle or steam engine.

3 Nil data applies if a Police Force Area is not listed in the above tables.

4 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.

5 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—Ref: IOS 510-09