John Bisset/Stuff
Senior Sergeant Antony Callon, of Timaru, said police are shifting focus away from prosecuting cannabis related crimes. (File photo).
The number of people arrested in relation to cannabis offences in the Aoraki policing district have fallen over the past five years because of a shift in focus away from charging people for cannabis-related offences and towards education and addiction support, police say.
Senior Sergeant Antony Callon, of Timaru, said roughly 10 per cent of those caught committing a cannabis related offence are arrested, and of those 10-20 per cent end up being charged.
This means roughly 98-99 per cent of people caught committing a cannabis related offence are not charged.
Those who were charged are almost always charged with other non-cannabis related offending alongside cannabis charges, he said.
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