Question On Notice No. 210 asked in the Legislative Council on 4 August 2021 by Hon Brian Walker
Question Directed to the: Parliamentary Secretary representing the Attorney General
Parliament: 41 Session: 1
Question
I refer to the answer provided to question without notice 326 on 22 June 2021, and I ask, how many cannabis-related arrests during the past calendar year have resulted in:
(a) court appearances; and
(b) convictions?
Answered on 2 September 2021
(a)-(b) The Courts are able to provide data on cannabis related charges, convictions and persons charged. However, this data does not correlate to the number of cannabis related arrests made by Police. WA Police hold arrest data. With this in mind, the Courts can only provide the following data:
In the 2020 calendar year,1 January 2020 to 31 December 2020, where:
- charges were lodged by the WA Police; and
- the charge was laid under the Misuse of Drugs Act; and
- the charge was lodged by way of a Prosecution Notice (accused had been arrested), excluding Prosecution Notices by Summons and Notice;
There were:
- 1,842 charges lodged;
- Involving 1,654 ‘cases’ (i.e. count of the number of accused, who had one or more charges lodge in a single courthouse, on the same day, in the same jurisdiction);
- 1,564 distinct individuals (count the accused person once only during the year, regardless of how many charges were lodged or how many times throughout the year charges were lodged).
Of these charges lodged in 2020:
- 1,510 convictions have so far been recorded in the Lower and Higher Courts (a conviction is recorded against a single charge);
- Involving 1,372 cases; and
- 1,300 distinct individuals.