Met to try a softer line on cannabis
Commander Paddick said yesterday the proposal did not mean cannabis was being legalised. The idea was to free his officers from spending hours mopping up minor drugs offences when they needed time to tackle the "cancer" of crack cocaine-related crime.
"I've never met anyone who had to commit crime to fund a cannabis habit, but crack cocaine users commit robbery, burglary and car crime."
He said he was not soft on cannabis use. "That completely misrepresents what we want to do. We believe this policy will continue to deter people buying cannabis on the streets, as they will still lose even small amounts of cannabis in their possession. The person has to accept the warning, [or] be arrested."
It takes two officers up to five hours to process a cannabis possession arrest. "With the new policy, we can deal with a similar matter in 10 minutes," said Cdr Paddick.
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