Stop and search caused drug arrest rise, say police

Chief Constable Rob Carden said proactive stop and searches by police had led to higher drug-related arrests

An increased use of stop and search powers has led to a 44% rise in drug-related crime being recorded, a police chief has said.

Cumbria Police's Chief Constable Rob Carden said the jump in drug-related crime was "great news", because it demonstrated "pro-active" policing.

He said the Home Office had questioned the force's figures when it reported it was carrying out 850 searches a month, up from 150.

"There’s no more drugs in Cumbria; they’re being found," he said.

Mr Carden, who has been in post for just more than a year, was speaking in an hour-long interview with BBC Radio Cumbria.

He said: "People say drugs arrests have increased. Well they have, because of stop and search.

"You’ve got the stop and search figures going from, say, 150 a month to now 850. Now that jump is so much, the Home Office challenged it and said, 'surely that can’t be right, there’s a mistake with the figures'.

"No, we are that much more proactive."

Police's 'biggest challenge'

In a wide-ranging interview, he answered questions on police funding, anti-social behaviour, violence against women and officer retention.

He said the "biggest challenge" the force faced was to achieve £16m of planned savings over five years and suggested Cumbria lost out due to the police funding formula.

The county, which includes tourist hotspots such as the Lake District, has been estimated to receive 47 million visitors a year.

"In terms of funding, the inflation of the population by anything between 47 and 50 million – that’s not catered for," he said.

Mr Carden added he would like any future review of funding to be "sophisticated enough to take that into account".

He said dealing with anti-social behaviour was "one area where we can really improve" and added that the force had applied to the government for £1m to deal with hotspots.

He admitted concerns around morale and officer retention were "valid" but pointed to a recent inspection report which found the force was "outstanding" in supporting the workforce and said it was attracting "good people".

He said violence against women and girls was a "real concern" and Cumbria Police was one of only five forces to see "any reduction whatsoever".