Dramatic increase in police incidents involving NPS
Calls have been made for greater police powers to combat the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) after the number of police incidents involving their use increased dramatically in many parts of England.
Calls have been made for greater police powers to combat the use of new psychoactive substances (NPS) after the number of police incidents involving their use increased dramatically in many parts of England.
Figures obtained by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) show that the number of times police reports recorded the term NPS soared across 16 forces that responded to a Freedom of Information request.
Greater Manchester Police, for example, dealt with 104 cases of people using NPS in 2014, compared to just six in 2012.
In West Yorkshire there was a 25-fold increase over the same period from 13 to 324 while in Northumbria, the figure rose from two in 2012 to 108 in 2014.
Lincolnshire Police also experienced a significant rise, from 57 in 2012 to 820 in 2014.
The CSJ said that although the figures do not necessarily mean an arrest has been made, it demonstrates that the greater use of NPS is having a bigger strain on police resources. It added that in the future these incidents could be criminal in nature and cause further problems.
CSJ analysis also showed that the number of people in treatment for taking NPS, also known as legal highs, soared by 216 per cent in England in the past five years, while the number of deaths associated with NPS use increased from 12 in 2009 to 97 in 2012 in England.
The CSJ has called for a robust response from the Government, including new police powers to close shops that persist in selling NPS.
Rupert Oldham-Reid, senior CSJ researcher, said: As well as posing worrying health risks, these figures suggest legal highs are placing an increasing burden on public services.
It is too easy for people to walk into high street shops and buy these drugs many of them as dangerous as Class A substances.
If we want to start responding to the problems caused by legal highs we need to clamp down on those making a living out of selling them.
The CSJ said the UK has the highest number of NPS users among young people in Europe. It said police and courts should be given new powers to close head shops, which sell many of the substances, and called on the Government to implement legislation similar to a scheme run in the Republic of Ireland, where the number of head shops fell from more than 100 to less than ten.
There are thought to be around 250 head shops in the UK that are suspected of selling many NPS.
In October last year, the Home Office published the findings of an expert review of NPS and the Governments response, which includes proposals for a general ban across the UK.
However, the NPS expert panels report said there are clear risks that should be carefully considered before new laws are passed. The Home Office said these are currently being considered.
Crime Prevention Minister Lynne Featherstone said: The Government is determined to clamp down on suppliers and traders of NPS, or so-called legal highs, which have claimed the lives of too many young people.
We have already banned more than 350 new drugs, created the Forensic Early Warning System to identify NPS in the UK, and we support law enforcement action with the latest intelligence on new substances.
She added: We are carefully considering proposals for a general ban like that in Ireland. This would give law enforcement greater powers to tackle the market in legal highs in general, instead of a substance-by-substance approach.
There is no magic wand solution, however, and we need to first ensure that such a ban would be right for the UK.