Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people aged under 25 were charged with possession of cocaine in the last 12 months.

The Home Office collects information on the number of ‘Having Possession Of A Controlled Drug - Class A Cocaine’ offences recorded by the police in England and Wales, and their investigative outcomes including charges.

Information, for the year to June 2024, on the age of suspects charged for possession of cocaine is provided in the table below. However, information on the age of the suspect is not quality assured as it is not currently routinely published or collected as official statistics from forces and in 43% of cases age has not been provided.

Number of offences resulting in charge/summons, year ending June 2024, broken down by age-group, for ‘Having Possession Of A Controlled Drug - Class A Cocaine’ offences, England and Wales (excluding Humberside Police)