Cannabis awareness courses 1126/2025

FOI Reference: 1126/2025

Request:

This request concerns the operation of cannabis awareness courses by your police force. 

Please could you provide the following information. 

1. Does your police force offer drug awareness courses for people caught with possession of cannabis?

If so:

2. What year did the force commence operating these courses?

3. What was the cost of running this course in the 2025 calendar year to date?

4. Please state the number of times a person attended these courses in each calendar year from 2015 to 2025 to date.

5. Please state how much money the force received from fees charged for these courses in each of the calendar years from 2015 to 2025 to date.

6. Please state if the income from the courses is used for any specific purpose or whether it is returned to general funds.

7. Please state the overall number of people who have received a diversionary, educational or intervention outcome for cannabis possession in each of the calendar years from 2015 to 2025 to date.

8. Of persons who received a diversionary, educational or intervention outcome for cannabis possession in the 2025 calendar year, please state the persons with the five largest number of previous diversionary, educational or intervention outcomes on their police record.

Response 1:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

Dyfed Powys Police operate a Diversionary Scheme which is run by a 3^rd party namely Pobl (https://www.poblgroup.co.uk/) and is commissioned by the OPCC (Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner). The Diversionary Scheme is for all types of eligible offences which included possession of cannabis.

Response 2:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

The Diversionary Scheme was introduced in 2019.

Response 3:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

Dyfed-Powys Police have information publicly available on our website that shows the Diversion contract, who holds it, the annual cost and headline performance data. It is a wider diversion scheme that includes eligibility of cannabis possession, but also for a number of other crime types, so it would not be possible to cost an individual crime route, only the totally of the service. Individuals are assessed by the Diversion Scheme and then referred into specialist substance misuse treatment services. We have all the details of those services on our website here: https://www.dyfedpowys-pcc.org.uk/en/about-us/services-and-partnerships/

Response 4 & 7:

I can confirm that there is no information held by Dyfed-Powys Police due to the fact that this information is not recorded by Dyfed-Powys Police.

Please note: This information will be held by an external agency POBL. They can be contacted by using the following email address:

https://www.poblgroup.co.uk/contact

If you would like me to forward this part of your request to POBL on your behalf, I would be happy to assist.

Response 5:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

The Diversionary Scheme is free of charge.

Response 6:

Not applicable

Response 8:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below

1 person received 5 referrals

3 people received 4 referrals

6 people received 3 referrals

51 people received 2 referrals                                              

It should be noted that as a result of the systems adopted by Dyfed-Powys Police in relation to the recording of such information that the information released may or may not be accurate.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that Police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely required to provide crime statistics to government bodies and the recording criteria is set nationally. However, the systems used for recording these figures are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the crime data. It should be noted that for these reasons this force's response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other response you may receive.

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 24/12/2025)