Cannabis policing to be centrally coordinated

A national cannabis coordinator has been appointed by the Home Office to address the increasing number of drug farms being cultivated in people’s homes.

Mark Matthews, a former chief superintendent of Merseyside, will be assessing the extent to which cannabis farming could be operating across England and Wales.

The post will closely involve sharing intelligence and good practice with other law enforcement agencies.

Mr Matthews will be based in Merseyside and his responsibilities will include identifying patterns of cannabis cultivation and coordinating with cross-border investigations to detect trends such as organised gangs using rented accommodation to grow cannabis.

Mr Matthews explained: “The harm to neighbourhoods that is increasingly associated with illegal cultivation and trade in cannabis provides a challenge for law enforcement within the United Kingdom. The police service is responding to that challenge, with more raids on cannabis farms than we have seen previously and a tougher approach to policing cannabis on the street. We now want to step up action against the organised crime networks that are involved in the cannabis trade.

“Traditionally, law enforcement has focused on drug issues at the point of importation. Here we are seeing criminals producing drugs within our local neighbourhoods. The same criminals are also very often engaged in other forms of illegal activity such as counterfeiting, tax evasion and people trafficking.”

Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker welcomed the appointment, saying that the cannabis coordinator would be there to “ensure that we have a consistently robust enforcement approach to tackling large-scale cannabis cultivation and help to put away the organised criminal gangs which seek to profit from this illegal harmful activity”.

He added: “I want those criminal gangs which are involved in supplying illegal drugs to experience the fact that the UK is a hostile place in which to do business. We will bring them to justice and seize their ill-gotten gains. I know that Mr Matthews shares my ambition.”

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) lead on drugs and chief constable of Humberside, Tim Hollis, also supported the new role and the benefits it will have for communication between forces.

“The improved intelligence and coordination being delivered as a result of this initiative will allow all 43 forces to make a bigger impact on cannabis factories,” he said.

Mr Matthews’ appointment comes as the Government intends to begin parliamentary proceedings on the reclassification of cannabis as a Class B drug over concerns that stronger and more harmful forms are becoming prevalent.