No prosecution for teens with hard drugs

Force first to offer courses to teenagers with a small amount of any substance in bid to halt criminal activity

Teenagers will escape prosecution if they are caught with drugs under the first police scheme of its kind to combat county lines gangs and serious violence. Thames Valley Police will offer under 18s caught with small quantities of any illegal drugs – including heroin and cocaine – the chance to take part in education or treatment programmes instead of being prosecuted. They aim to wean the teenagers off drugs, divert them from crime or gangs and reduce drug use among the young.

TEENAGERS will escape prosecution if they are caught with drugs under the first police scheme of its kind to combat county lines gangs and serious violence.

Thames Valley Police – one of Britain’s biggest forces – will offer under18s caught with small quantities of any illegal drugs, including heroin and cocaine, the chance to take part in education or t reatment programmes instead of being prosecuted.

It aims to wean the teenagers off drugs and divert them from crime or gangs.

Teenagers will get a second chance to continue with the programme if they are caught again with a small quantity of drugs.

But those who refuse to participate or are subsequently caught with larger quantities of drugs or suspected of supplying illegal substances face arrest and prosecution.

The area wide “drugs diversion” scheme will be launched next week, and follows a pilot in one of the force’s boroughs where 84 per cent of adults and teenagers caught with class A and other drugs escaped prosecution if they underwent drugs education.

Just over four in 10 (42 per cent) of the 84 people caught with drugs completed the education programme, which included an assessment and three onehour sessions. Two of those who completed the course are now drug free.

Just over half (55 per cent) who were caught but declined to take part in the education programme were also not prosecuted but warned there would be no second chance if they were found in possession again. Critics will claim it is another step towards the decriminalisation of drugs with between 50 and 70 per cent of people caught with cannabis being let off with informal “community resolutions” without getting a criminal record. Most are, however, prosecuted for class A drug possession.

Chief Insp Jason Kew, the officer leading the project, acknowledged it would avoid criminalising the young but maintained it would also provide an opportunity to steer them away from crime. “By offering young people an opportunity to learn about the dangers of drugs, as well as providing them with the support they need to make a positive change in their lives, they don’t have to end up with a criminal record,” he said.

“As a consequence, we hope this will then contribute to a reduction in drug use and the drugs market. Further, this also frees up valuable time for frontline

‘We hope this will contribute to a reduction in drug use and the drugs market, and free up time for officers’

officers as the person stopped will not need to attend custody, therefore allowing officers more time to tackle serious and organised crime in our communities.”

Thames Valley’s proximity to London has made it a target for county lines gangs, who move and supply drugs from cities into smaller towns, often targeting and exploiting local children to expand their trade.

Matthew Barber, the deputy police and crime commissioner for Thames Valley, said: “Our Violence Reduction Unit i s seeking to make long-term reductions in drug use and serious violence.

“This drugs diversion scheme is designed to tackle the root causes of drug use amongst young people in order to prevent them reoffending.”