News from Caroline Russell: Mayor must bring in drug diversion London-wide

At Mayor’s Question Time today, the Mayor avoided responding to comments made by the Met Commissioner yesterday describing cannabis policing diversion schemes as a ‘no brainer’ when questioned by Caroline Russell AM.

Yesterday the Met Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, was asked by Caroline what lessons can be learned by the Met from other police forces running schemes diverting people in possession of cannabis towards targeted support such as drug education, harm reduction or treatment, as an alternative to arresting, prosecuting or formally cautioning them. [1]

He agreed there is evidence that shows ‘generally, high victim satisfaction, low recidivism, but the benefits with non-white offenders were even higher’ and he highlighted that ‘if you've got both of those things, why wouldn't you do it?’. [2]

When Caroline asked the Mayor to respond to these comments supporting diversion, he did not show support, instead referred to his Drugs Commission which has failed to publish an update or even a website page since its announcement May 2022. [3]

Green London Assembly member Caroline Russell says:

“The evidence is clear that diversion schemes work, and the Met Commissioner gets this.

“Meanwhile progress on the Mayor’s Drugs Commission is so sluggish that the only new thing he revealed to me today is that five months after initially announcing his Commission, he hasn’t even published a webpage for it.

“The problem is that people, and disproportionately people who are Black, are being criminalised through the current way of policing possession of cannabis.

“I hope the Mayor will listen to both the evidence and the police Commissioner, and bring in a London-wide diversion programme for cannabis policing. There is so much evidence already, we don’t need to go on waiting for his Drugs Commission.”