753 Waltham Forest Children Arrested For Cannabis Offences

753 children aged 10-17 were arrested for cannabis-related offences in Waltham Forest over the last five years. 2019’s figures were the highest they had been since 2015, with 157 children arrested.

According to data released by the Metropolitan Police, following a  Freedom of Information request, 174 arrests of this nature took place in 2015. In 2016, this number reduced to 141, and the following year, 2017, it reduced again, to 125.

However, from 2018 the trajectory rose once again, from 156 that year to 157 in 2019. In total, 753 children aged 10-17 were arrested for either possessing or selling weed in Waltham Forest. 

There were far more possession charges than possession with intent to supply charges over the five years; 577 charges for the former compared to 139 charges for the later.