FOI 872/25
FOI 872/25
Request
Arrests and Stop and Search
- Anual number of arrests for cannabis and cocaine-related offences, disaggregated by:
- Possession
- Possession with intent to supply (PWITS)
- Trafficking
- Production/cultivation (for cannabis)
- Number of stop and searches where cannabis or cocaine was the suspected substance (with outcomes, where available)
- Drug Seizures
- Annual quantity of cannabis and cocaine seized (kg/grams)
- Street or estimated value if recorded
- Location categories (e.g. public space, home or vehicle)
- If applicable, please confirm the internal classification or coding systems your force uses to record these seizures and offences (e.g. offence codes, controlled substance tags used to record your internal categories).
Please also distinguish, where possible, between the following types of cannabis and cocaine, as follows:
For cannabis:
- Resin forms (e.g. hashish), including THC% levels if known
- Herbal forms under 10% THC (e.g. ganja or “legacy” cannabis)
- High THC herbal forms (e.g. skunk, sinsemilla), with THC levels of 10% and above
- Synthetic cannabinoids (SSCs) such as Spice, K2, or HHC
- THC edible products containing over 1mg of tetrahydrocannabinol per product
- Known street-names of substances seized with THC and CBD levels, if recorded
For cocaine:
- Powdered cocaine
- Crack cocaine (rock form)
If your records do not routinely differentiate by these categories, please confirm this in your response.
- Demographics and Geographic Data of Offenders
- Age breakdowns of individuals arrested or charged for the above offences (e.g. under 18, 18–24, 25–34, etc.)
- Gender and ethnicity breakdowns, where collected
- The borough names or policing districts controlled by your force
- Total number of cannabis or cocaine associated offences recorded within each borough / district
- Outcomes and Classification Frameworks
- Annual number and description of disposal types used for the above cannabis or cocaine offences: e.g. warnings, community resolutions, cautions, charges or other outcomes
- Any associated offence codes, outcome codes, or internal classification systems used to record cannabis or cocaine-related offences.
- If these are recorded within a database or information system (e.g. crime recording systems), please include the relevant code labels or field descriptors.
- Drug-Linked Secondary Offences
Any recorded incidents where cannabis or cocaine may not have been the primary offence but is noted as a contributing factor in the following offences (but not limited to):
- Violence against the person
- Domestic abuse-related incidents
- Public order or anti-social behaviour offences
- Weapons offences
- Youth offending charges or safeguarding referrals
Please include any internal tags, flags, or annotations used to denote drug involvement in these offences.
- Drug-Related Motoring Offences
- Annual number of arrests or charges under Section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988
- Annula number of positive roadside swab tests for cannabis or cocaine with relation to the above offences
- Demographic breakdowns of motoring offenders (e.g. age, gender)
- Any recorded collisions or accidents involving cannabis or cocaine use
- Please indicate the substance detected
- Method of detection (e.g. swab, blood test)
- Resulting legal outcome where known
- Online and Parcel-Based Drug Distribution
- Any measurable data showing how often social media platforms (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram), websites or dark web marketplaces were used to facilitate cannabis or cocaine sales
- Actual or estimated number of cannabis or cocaine sales conducted via digital / online means
- Number of seizures or interceptions involving parcel-based drug distribution (e.g. Royal Mail, courier services, drop boxes, etc.)
- Encrypted Communication Devices
Please provide the number of arrests and charges involving the use of the following encrypted communication platforms or modified devices (including discontinued services), specifically in relation to cannabis or cocaine offences:
- EncroChat
- Sky ECC
- ANOM / ANØM
- Phantom Secure
- Ciphr or other modified encrypted handsets
Offences may include:
- Possession
- Possession with intent to supply (PWITS)
- Trafficking or importation into the UK
Also, please provide:
- Number of encrypted devices seized and linked to cannabis or cocaine-related offences
- Number of prosecutions where encrypted messages, images or drop-coordinates were used as evidence
- Whether your force uses any internal tags, codes or intelligence flags to track encrypted device use in drug-related offences - please include these, if available
- Acquisitive Offences with Drug-Linked Motivation
- Any recorded acquisitive offences committed where cannabis or cocaine were contributing factors, including (but not limited to):
- Theft (including shoplifting or vehicle-related theft)
- Burglary (residential and non-residential)
- Robbery and aggravated robbery
- Fraud or deception offences
Where available, please indicate whether these were linked to drug-seeking behaviour or substance dependence (e.g. flagged as offences committed to fund a drug habit)
- Harassment and Abuse Offences Involving Drug Influence
- Any recorded harassment, intimidation, or verbal abuse offences where cannabis or cocaine were noted as contributing factors, including:
- Towards members of the public
- Towards police officers or other emergency services personnel
Where applicable, please include any internal tags or narrative indicators used to denote behavioural intoxication or drug influence.
- Format and Timeframe
With respect to all of the above, please provide the data on a year-by-year basis for the period 2000–2024. Where available, I would really appreciate any data tables, graphs, or charts that visually present this data in various quantitative and/or qualitative forms, in addition to raw data as requested.
Response
Your request for information has now been considered and I am not obliged to supply the information you have requested.
In relation to your request, the following exemption applies:
Section 12 – Exemption where cost of compliance exceeds appropriate limit.
We consulted with our analysts who have advised that not all of the information you have requested is recorded in an easily retrievable format. For example, question 5 would require a manual interrogation of all the listed offences to establish if cannabis or cocaine was noted as a contributing factor - please note for ease I have listed the questions that we may be able to retrieve at the end of this response, should you wish to resubmit. Additionally retrieving 24 years of data would be a massive task especially as not all of the information is easily retrievable. Please also note, our crime and incident recording system (Niche RMS) was implemented in 2007. Unfortunately, our records only go as far back as then.
Whilst I cannot quantify exactly how long this would take it would most certainly exceed the 18 hours stipulated by the regulations.
It is estimated that the cost of providing you with the information is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of locating and retrieving the information exceeds the "appropriate level" as stated in the Freedom of Information (Fees and Appropriate Limit) Regulations 2004.
In the case of the police service, the appropriate limit is £450 which has been calculated to equate to a total of 18 hours of work.
If any part of the request exceeds the fees limit then Section 12 applies to the whole request.
In accordance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000, this letter acts as a refusal notice.
Excess cost removes the forces obligation under the Freedom of Information Act, however under Section 16 – Duty to provide advice and assistance, an authority is required to offer an applicant the opportunity to redefine their request within the cost limit. If you were to remove questions 5, 7, 8, 9 & 10 and reduce the time frame, we may be able to assist you with your request.
Please note, the information you requested for question 2 can be found following the link below: