FOI 0320-2025/26 Stop and Search

1. Arrests and Stop and Search

• Annual number of arrests for cannabis and cocaine-related offences, disaggregated by:
• Possession
• Possession with intent to supply (PWITS)
• Trafficking
• Production/cultivation (for cannabis)
• Number of stop and searches where cannabis or cocaine was the suspected substance (with outcomes, where available)

2. Drug Seizures

• Annual quantity of cannabis and cocaine seized (kg/grams)
• Street or estimated value if recorded
• Location categories (e.g. public space, home or vehicle)
• If applicable, please confirm the internal classification or coding systems your force uses to record these seizures and offences (e.g. offence codes, controlled substance tags used to record your internal categories).

Please also distinguish, where possible, between the following types of cannabis and cocaine, as follows:

For cannabis:

• Resin forms (e.g. hashish), including THC% levels if known
• Herbal forms under 10% THC (e.g. ganja or “legacy” cannabis)
• High THC herbal forms (e.g. skunk, sinsemilla), with THC levels of 10% and above
• Synthetic cannabinoids (SSCs) such as Spice, K2, or HHC
• THC edible products containing over 1mg of tetrahydrocannabinol per product
• Known street-names of substances seized with THC and CBD levels, if recorded

For cocaine:

• Powdered cocaine
• Crack cocaine (rock form)

If your records do not routinely differentiate by these categories, please confirm this in your response.

3. Demographics and Geographic Data of Offenders

• Age breakdowns of individuals arrested or charged for the above offences (e.g. under 18, 18–24, 25–34, etc.)
• Gender and ethnicity breakdowns, where collected
• The borough names or policing districts controlled by your force
• Total number of cannabis or cocaine associated offences recorded within each borough / district

4. Outcomes and Classification Frameworks

• Annual number and description of disposal types used for the above cannabis or cocaine offences: e.g. warnings, community resolutions, cautions, charges or other outcomes
• Any associated offence codes, outcome codes, or internal classification systems used to record cannabis or cocaine-related offences.
• If these are recorded within a database or information system (e.g. crime recording systems), please include the relevant code labels or field descriptors.

5. Drug-Linked Secondary Offences

Any recorded incidents where cannabis or cocaine may not have been the primary offence but is noted as a contributing factor in the following offences (but not limited to):

• Violence against the person
• Domestic abuse-related incidents
• Public order or anti-social behaviour offences
• Weapons offences
• Youth offending charges or safeguarding referrals

Please include any internal tags, flags, or annotations used to denote drug involvement in these offences.

6. Drug-Related Motoring Offences

• Annual number of arrests or charges under Section 5A of the Road Traffic Act 1988
• Annual number of positive roadside swab tests for cannabis or cocaine with relation to the above offences
• Demographic breakdowns of motoring offenders (e.g. age, gender)
• Any recorded collisions or accidents involving cannabis or cocaine use
  
  
• Please indicate the substance detected
• Method of detection (e.g. swab, blood test)
• Resulting legal outcome where known

7. Online and Parcel-Based Drug Distribution

• Any measurable data showing how often social media platforms (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram, WhatsApp, Telegram), websites or dark web marketplaces were used to facilitate cannabis or cocaine sales
• Actual or estimated number of cannabis or cocaine sales conducted via digital / online means
• Number of seizures or interceptions involving parcel-based drug distribution (e.g. Royal Mail, courier services, drop boxes, etc.)

8. Encrypted Communication Devices

Please provide the number of arrests and charges involving the use of the following encrypted communication platforms or modified devices (including discontinued services), specifically in relation to cannabis or cocaine offences:

• EncroChat
• Sky ECC
• ANOM / ANØM
• Phantom Secure
• Ciphr or other modified encrypted handsets

Offences may include:

• Possession
• Possession with intent to supply (PWITS)
• Trafficking or importation into the UK

Also, please provide:

• Number of encrypted devices seized and linked to cannabis or cocaine-related offences
• Number of prosecutions where encrypted messages, images or drop-coordinates were used as evidence
• Whether your force uses any internal tags, codes or intelligence flags to track encrypted device use in drug-related offences - please include these, if available

9. Acquisitive Offences with Drug-Linked Motivation

• Any recorded acquisitive offences committed where cannabis or cocaine were contributing factors, including (but not limited to):
  
  
• Theft (including shoplifting or vehicle-related theft)
• Burglary (residential and non-residential)
• Robbery and aggravated robbery
• Fraud or deception offences

Where available, please indicate whether these were linked to drug-seeking behaviour or substance dependence (e.g. flagged as offences committed to fund a drug habit)

10. Harassment and Abuse Offences Involving Drug Influence

• Any recorded harassment, intimidation, or verbal abuse offences where cannabis or cocaine were noted as contributing factors, including:
  
  
• Towards members of the public
• Towards police officers or other emergency services personnel

Where applicable, please include any internal tags or narrative indicators used to denote behavioural intoxication or drug influence.

Extent of Searches to Locate Information
Following receipt of your request searches were conducted within North Yorkshire Police to locate relevant information. 

Decision
I am not obliged to provide you with a response to your request pursuant to Section 12(1) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (the Act). Please note that when one part of your request falls under Section 12, we are not obliged to review the rest of the questions and the whole request is therefore exempt.

Section 12(1) applies to your request as the cost of complying with your request is above the amount to which we are legally required to respond i.e. the cost of identifying and retrieving any relevant information exceeds the ‘appropriate level’ as stated in the Freedom of Information (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.

Due to the nature of our recording systems the information requested, if held, is not in an easily retrievable format. Our information retrieval process generally relies on a computer ran report which captures any information recorded upon the surface of a record or within specified fields. Where relevant information is held deeper in the record, or outside of a specified field, a manual assessment is required to retrieve that information.

While the crime recording system used by North Yorkshire Police offers a range of search functionalities, it is not capable of extracting the specific information requested to answer Questions 2, 7 and 8 through straightforward automated searches. As a result, manual reviews of relevant data would need to be undertaken, an exercise which would exceed the time limit allowed under the Act. 

Pursuant to Section 17(5) of the Freedom of Information Act this letter acts as a Refusal Notice.

Pursuant to Section 16 of the Act I am required to offer you advice and assistance with regarding to refining your request to within the ‘appropriate limit’ (time/cost limit). However, due to the information provided above I am unable to suggest how you may refine your request and still receive the information within the cost threshold.  If you wish to discuss this please do not hesitate to contact me.

Please note that systems used for recording information are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the data.  It should be noted therefore that this force’s response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other responses you may receive.