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A slight rise in drug crime
Drug offences rose slightly between 2007 and 2008 from 18,908 in 2007 (year ending 30 June) to 19,259 in 2008. Within this overall rise there was a shift in the composition of these offences with more Cannabis related offences (14,449 to 15,288) and fewer offences for other and most often harder, drugs (4,450 to 3,971). Overall the level drug related crime is 13% lower in 2008 than in 2004 when there were 22,249 drug offences of which 18,271 were Cannabis related.
see FIGURE 20: Convictions for drug offences 2004-2008
http://www.salvationarmy.org.nz/uploads/IntoTroubledWaters.pdf
Notably the Salvation Army says in its summary (Report Card)
|
For the available data it is difficult to know if the war on illicit drugs is being won or lost. The recent rise in cannabis related offences may indicate a changing emphasis by Police. |
Cannabis Harm Reduction Squad
on route to saving someone
from themselves.
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[Actually the heading is perverse, there was a significant reduction in drug crime (13% lower) but the figures demonstrate that ‘Policing Success’ is entirely dependent on measuring cannabis convictions and thus policing practice, not prevalence of use or relative harm. The BERL Drug Harm Index report is all the more sillier! /Blair ]
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