ACPO warns local authorities and social landlords as number of cannabis farms doubles in two years

The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has urged local authorities and social landlords to better monitor their empty housing stock as new ACPO figures show that the number of cannabis factories discovered in the United Kingdom more than doubled in the past two years to 6800.

Cannabis factories are most commonly found in rented or unused residential accommodation, although ACPO did record sharp rises in the use of disused commercial premises (such as boarded-up pubs) and agricultural buildings in the past two years. The electricity meter is usually by-passed and high intensity lighting and ventilation system installed. Outward clues to the use of a property include blacked out windows, hot walls, condensation, pungent smells and unusual numbers of people coming and going.

The ACPO report highlighted the growth in people trafficking by the managers of cannabis farms (including that of children) who often work in the farms to pay off money owed to their traffickers. Children taken into care following raids of cannabis farms were also under pressure to abscond, the report said.

ACPO also said that the owners of cannabis firms were also often involved in the production and importation of other drugs and illegal materials and noted a growth in levels of violence between cannabis gangs.

The highest numbers of cannabis factories were found in London, West Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands, although measured by head of population, the greatest concentrations were discovered in West Yorkshire, Cambridgeshire and Avon and Somerset.

ACPO lead on cannabis Commander Allan Gibson of the Metropolitan Police said the findings came as no surprise. “Between 2004 and 2007, 800 cannabis factories a year were being uncovered by police. That rose to over 3000 a year in 2007/08 and over 6800 in 2009/10. This increase can be attributed to a number of factors, including an increased focus by law enforcement. The police response is now stronger and more effective through better coordination and intelligence sharing between forces and other agencies and more covert operations against the operators.

“The level of publicity around cannabis since its reclassification in 2008 has meant that more members of the community are now reporting any unusual signs of habitation in buildings and houses which is leading to more detections.

“This profile gives us a better understanding of the current picture of the commercial cultivation of cannabis in the UK and the need for continued robust enforcement.”