Drug possession in Leamington almost trebles in five years

Drug possession in Leamington Spa has nearly trebled in the last five years, according to statistics from a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted to the Warwickshire Police.

The FOI found that there were 203 recorded offences for drug possession and a further 40 with intent to supply in the past year, compared to only 71 in in 2012.

The report suggested that cannabis was the most commonly used drug in the past year, closely followed by cocaine, which has been more used more frequently. In 2012, only 23% of registered offences were for this drug, compared to 38% since September last year.

Meanwhile, reported cannabis use seems to have fallen from 58% of offences to just 40% since 2012. However, this does not take to account other factors such as police enforcement.

Heroin use appears to have increased from 1% in 2012 to 7% of reported possession offences as of September 2017.

The vast majority of those reported for drug use were male; 92% of those reported for possession and 85% for supply.

The average profile for and possession offender was a 28-year-old white male; with more than nine in ten registered as white. Over three-quarters of those reported for intent to supply were white, while the average profile was younger, on average just 22.

Nearly half of sanctions in the last year were police cautions, while a further quarter were official charges. While a caution is not the same as a conviction, is does go on a person’s criminal record. The statistics were similar for intent to supply.

There have been a number of drug-related arrests in the past years, including a police raid on a Leamington canal boat and a flat in March last year, which resulted in the arrest of 31-year-old woman suspected of illegally supplying controlled drugs.

The December before, a Warwick Chemistry student pleaded guilty after being found with £18,000 of various Class A and Class B drugs, with intent to supply. These included cocaine, amphetamine, cannabis and the hallucinogenic drug DMT.

His defending lawyer argued that the 24-year-old was selling it for another person, stating: “That man was a large-scale drug supplier who wanted to expand his customer base using the defendant’s contacts, and he didn’t feel he could refuse to enter into this arrangement.”

According to the Leamington Courier, a 35-year old man is currently wanted on warrant after being charged with conspiracy to supply cannabis, and failing to appear in court.