EXCLUSIVE Top police chiefs say smell of cannabis is a 'sign of crime' that can make even them feel 'unsafe'... and frontline officers should 'do something about it'
The country's longest-serving chief constable admits the smell of the drug is a 'sign of crime and disorder' which makes even him 'feel unsafe'.
Sir Andy Marsh, who leads the College of Policing, said frontline officers should 'do something about it'.
He is backed by Greater Manchester Police Chief Sir Stephen Watson and Merseyside Chief Constable Serena Kennedy.
In a joint intervention following recent calls for decriminalisation, they tell future police leaders they must listen to their communities and be prepared to take a tougher line.
Launching a new leadership programme for policing, they acknowledged forces were in a 'foot race for public confidence' and officers can no longer ignore what has traditionally been perceived as the 'little stuff'.
Sir Andy, who is the officer in charge of police standards, said: 'In my community, my kids are too frightened to use the bus stop because it always stinks of cannabis.'
He told the Mail 'policing is about creating an environment that people feel safe in' and said: 'I'm speaking from personal experience and people I talk to, if I walk through a town, city, or even village centre and I smell cannabis, it does actually have an impact on how safe I feel.
'One definition of what police should be doing is – [if] something [is] happening which does not feel right, someone ought to do something about it.'
He added: 'For me, the smell of cannabis around communities, it feels like a sign of crime and disorder.'
The call for action comes after figures on Sunday revealed that three in four people caught with the drug last year were let off with an informal warning or community resolution.
In the year to September 2024, 68,513 people were found in possession of cannabis, but only 17,000 were charged, according to data released under Freedom of Information laws.
Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan has called for the decriminalisation of possession when it involves small amounts of the drug.
But recently judges have warned that cannabis is 'not a benign drug' after a series of horrific cases, including a samurai sword rampage in Hainault, east London, where a schoolboy was killed and four others seriously injured by a drug-crazed Brazilian who had a £100-a-day habit.
The head of Merseyside Police said of cannabis: 'The public should absolutely expect us to take positive action around those things and hold us to account over it.
'We have to work with our communities, it's no longer good enough to inflict priorities on them, we have to hear their voices and make them part of the problem-solving.'
In Greater Manchester, Sir Stephen tells his officers not to ignore the 'little things' that make people feel unsafe.
'This is the so-called lower level stuff, but actually it really isn't lower level stuff in the sense that this is where the public take their cues as to how safe or otherwise they feel, and how effective or otherwise is policing,' he said.
Sir Stephen revealed a new 'executive leadership programme' was teaching future chief constables that they don't just need business skills and political acumen.
He said: 'We are seeking to equip people, not just to deal with a critical incident which takes on national significance and has the potential to damage trust and confidence in policing, but also to recognise that on day-to-day watch, some of the stuff at the basic end of the market absolutely has to be done.
'The public aren't going to give us top marks for being brilliant at investigating murder alone. They expect us to be a full-spectrum organisation and that is what we are seeking to inspire in those who come forward for this course.'
He added: 'We are very acutely aware that we are in a foot race for public confidence at the moment and there is a lot of concern at its lowest, and perhaps visceral criticism at its highest, where there is a gap between what the public expect of the police and what they are getting.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Talks to finalise US steel tariff exemption ongoing as deadline due to pass
Government talks to finalise the deal to spare the UK from US steel tariffs are ongoing, Downing Street has said, as the deadline for the levies to come into force is due to pass and the steel industry called for a 'swift' resolution. President Donald Trump has said he plans to start implementing tariffs on the US's trade partners on July 9. The UK has already managed to negotiate a deal with the US which eliminates the threat of tariffs for British car and aeroplane manufacturers. But a reprieve for the steel industry is yet to be finalised, leaving open the threat that the current 25% tariff rate could rise to 50% after the deadline. Mr Trump is reportedly stepping up pressure on countries who could soon be subject to the tariffs, urging them to negotiate trade deals with the US. But amid signs of confusion within the US administration, trade secretary Howard Lutnick has suggested America's trade partners will see the levies begin on August 9, after receiving a letter outlining them on July 9. Mr Trump told his cabinet that negotiating trade deals was 'too time-consuming' so he was sending out letters to countries detailing tariff rates. In a post on Truth Social on Tuesday night, he said letters to 'a minimum of 7 Countries' would be released on Wednesday morning with more in the afternoon, although he gave no indication of which countries would be receiving the letters. Gareth Stace, director general at industry body UK Steel, said: 'A swift and positive resolution is needed to safeguard jobs, unlock growth, and restore confidence in the UK steel sector.' Downing Street said on Tuesday that discussions are ongoing between UK and US officials to secure 0% tariffs on core steel imports to the US. A Number 10 spokesman said: 'As we've said before, this is something that we continue to discuss with the US, just as we did with aero and auto, and those discussions will continue.' Asked if the Government understands the frustration of British steel workers, he said they want to see the deal in force 'as soon as possible'. The spokesman added: 'We obviously want to see this deal in force as soon as possible. That remains our priority. 'But as we've said before and set out, the Government remains relentlessly focused on making sure British businesses can feel the benefits of the deal as soon as possible.'
Rhyl Journal
an hour ago
- Rhyl Journal
King speaks of UK and France's deepening co-operation amid ‘profound challenges'
In a speech marking President Emmanuel Macron's three-day state visit to the UK, Charles highlighted a summit between Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and the French leader when commentators expect the issue of small boats to be top of the agenda. The King also spoke of the growing environmental threat where the 'very future of our planet hangs in the balance' and the UK and France have a 'critical role to play'. Charles's comments were made at a Windsor Castle state banquet where Sir Mick Jagger and fiancee Melanie Hamrick were among the guests alongside Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish and actress Dame Kristin Scott Thomas. The King told the guests, who included the Queen, the Prince and Princess of Wales, the Prime Minister and senior members of the Cabinet: 'Monsieur le President, the summit that you and the Prime Minister will hold in London this week will deepen our alliance and broaden our partnership still further. 'Our armed forces will co-operate even more closely across the world, including to support Ukraine, as we join together in leading a Coalition of the Willing in defence of liberty and freedom from oppression; in other words, in defence of our shared values.' He went on to say: 'Our security services and police will go further still to protect us against the profound challenges of terrorism, organised crime, cyber attacks and of course irregular migration across the English Channel. 'And our businesses will innovate together, generating growth, trade and investment for our economies and across the world.' Earlier in a speech to MPs and peers, Mr Macron promised to deliver on measures to cut the number of migrants crossing the English Channel, describing the issue as a 'burden' to both countries. He told the gathering in Parliament: 'France and the UK have a shared responsibility to address irregular migration with humanity, solidarity and fairness.' Decisions at Thursday's UK-France summit will 'respond to our aims for co-operation and tangible results on these major issues'. In his speech Charles described the UK's closest continental neighbour as 'one of our strongest allies' and said in the face of 'complex threats' France and Britain 'must help to lead the way'. There were lighter moments, with the King joking about the popular French cartoon character Asterix the Gaul's incomprehension about Britons' love of tea with a splash of milk, and how dinner guests had drunk 'English sparkling wine made by a French Champagne house'. And he described the 'perfect combinations' of French and British – Monet's paintings of London fog and Thierry Henry, a former French striker with London football club Arsenal, scoring at Highbury. The French president even winked at the King when Charles mentioned the cultural ties between the UK and France and how a Frenchman, William the Conqueror, began building Windsor Castle more than 900 years ago and his son William has made Windsor his home. The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh and the Princess Royal and her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence were also among the guests, as were former England goalkeeper Mary Earps, who now plays for Paris Saint-Germain, authors Joanne Harris and Sebastian Faulks and sculptor Sir Antony Gormley. Mr Macron also delivered a speech mostly in French but in English he spoke about France's loan of the Bayeux Tapestry which will go on display at the British Museum next year. He said: 'For the first time in 900 years the Bayeux Tapestry will follow the same path as the warriors whose stories it tells and land on British soil. 'Either they were never made or they were lost – those final scenes of the tapestry are missing. 'I see that as (an) even more powerful symbol in the great mural of Franco-British history, the end has yet to be written.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
‘Now Brexit is behind us': what's at stake as Macron makes state visit to the UK?
As Keir Starmer welcomes Emmanuel Macron to Britain for a landmark state visit aimed at building closer ties between London and Paris, the future of the nations' £100bn trading relationship will be drawn sharply into focus. In the three days of talks, concluding with the 37th Franco-British summit on Thursday, much of the attention will be on cross-Channel issues, including migration, amid expectations for a new deal on tackling small boat crossings. However, cooperation on business, trade, defence and security in the shifting global landscape will also feature prominently. After the damage of Brexit, Starmer and Macron are hoping to use the visit to turn the page on years of simmering tension and attempt a show of unity in the face of Donald Trump's erratic trade war. Macron will be hosted by King Charles at Windsor Castle (while Buckingham Palace is refurbished) with an address to parliament on Tuesday and lavish meal at Guildhall in the City of London on Wednesday. The last time a French head of state came to Britain on an official visit, 17 years ago, Gordon Brown and Nicolas Sarkozy had a similar message; using a joint press conference at Arsenal's Emirates stadium to warn that cooperation between nations would prove the only way out of the 2008 global financial crisis. This time around, international relations are in a far worse position as Donald Trump upends the postwar western economic and security consensus, threatening sweeping border taxes on the US's allies and enemies alike, and demanding European countries play a bigger role in the Nato military alliance. Much is at stake. France is the UK's fifth largest trading partner, with annual volumes of goods and services crossing the Channel worth about 6% of Britain's global total. After Starmer's 'EU reset' deal with Brussels in May, business leaders in both countries are hoping Macron's state visit will smooth the way for progress in repairing the damage of Brexit. The EU summit agreed several areas in principle, but government sources say the focus with Macron will be about pinning down the details of how things will work in practice. 'It has been quite tough after Brexit on both sides. But now Brexit is behind us,' said Françoise Rausch, the president of the Franco-British Chamber of Commerce, which has represented chief executives on both sides of the Channel for more than 150 years. 'Things have definitely improved. We are two big countries, leaders in Europe, and we need each other. We are strong if we are collaborating and strengthening our partnership,' she said. Brexit triggered a collapse in UK exports to the EU worth £27bn in the first two years, inflicting pain for cross-Channel trade amid long delays for truck drivers at Dover and Calais, mountains of paperwork and reams of red tape. Trade volumes have recovered, yet UK goods exports to the EU remain below pre-Brexit levels. Services exports have fared better. Rausch credited Rishi Sunak's visit to Paris in 2023 for beginning the repair job, after years of antagonism, as well as the king's state visit, his first as monarch, in the same year. 'Since then we have been moving forward very positively.' Closer relations with France could help Starmer to unlock further progress with Brussels. Yael Selfin, the chief economist at KPMG, said: 'It is a very important visit. France is very influential in the EU bloc, so Paris being more receptive could ease the trading relationship.' Britain imports more from France than is sold in exchange, led by beverages and aircraft, resulting in a trade deficit worth almost £12bn last year. The UK is one of the top overseas markets for French wines – including almost 30m bottles of champagne bought by British drinkers each year – as well as perfume, luxury goods and cheeses. Services account for about half of UK exports, led by professional and management consulting, finance and IT. Mechanical power generators, cars and aircraft – including wings manufactured by Airbus at its Broughton plant in north Wales, before being flown to its headquarters in Toulouse for final assembly – are among the largest exports. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Fish and shellfish – with more than half of all Scottish exports to the EU going to France – are also a significant export, including salmon and langoustines, in trade worth £1bn a year to fishing communities. As with the last French state visit to the UK, closer cooperation on civil nuclear projects will be high on the agenda. Brown and Sarkozy agreed to stronger ties at their Arsenal summit, months before the British prime minister gave the green light to expansion of the Hinkley and Sizewell power stations. After 17 years without a single extra watt from a new nuclear plant, and with a dramatically rising price tag, UK ministers last month committed £14.2bn of investment to build Sizewell C alongside the French state-owned energy company EDF. Further funding from the private sector is expected. Defence will also feature prominently, given the tense geopolitical backdrop and as European leaders respond to Trump's strong arming of Nato member states to raise their spending on defence. Starmer and Macron will focus on the cross-Channel defence industry after the agreement with Brussels in the UK-EU reset, allowing British companies to participate in the EU's planned £150bn security action for Europe (Safe) defence fund. Already, there are strong connections, including the French defence firm Thales employing more than 7,000 workers at 16 sites across the UK. However, there are also tensions, amid reports that French diplomats had initially sought to block UK involvement in Safe. Behind the pomp and ceremony of a state visit, it will also not have gone unnoticed in the Élysée Palace that Starmer has attempted to keep the UK as close as possible to Trump's White House, while also pushing to strike closer ties with Brussels. Macron has taken a more robust line with Trump than Starmer's softly, softly approach. London's deal to soften the most extreme US tariff rates could rankle Paris at a time when EU officials remain locked in talks with Washington before the possible escalation of border tax rates on 1 August. The French president will, however, beat his US counterpart to a state visit, as Trump is expected to fly over in the autumn. Although the US is the UK's single largest trading partner, in a relationship worth more than £300bn, Britain has tightly interwoven links with France and the wider EU, due to closer geographic proximity. Business leaders say this makes cooperation on the European continent more important. 'The US and President Trump are creating a lot of uncertainties which are bad for business. What is concerning is what's happening in the Middle East, in eastern Europe, and the fact that Trump wants Europe really to take the lead on defending its sovereignty,' Rausch said. 'For me these are the most important reasons why France and the UK are even bigger allies than before.'
