Drug diversion schemes cut reoffending rates more than prosecution, study says

Researchers led by Prof Alex Stevens, acting director of the University of Sheffield's Centre for Criminological Research, examined data from 13 English police forces and more than 62,000 criminal incidents over the past four years. They found that individuals whose cases were handled through decriminalisation-style diversion schemes were a third less likely to reoffend than similar individuals prosecuted for drug possession.

Several English police forces, including Durham, West Midlands and Thames Valley, already use formal diversion schemes. However, many forces still officially take a law-and-order approach, even though simple possession rarely leads to prison today. The four-year study, funded by the Cabinet Office's evaluation accelerator fund, was conducted in partnership with the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the College of Policing.

Commander Alison Heydari, NPCC lead for out-of-court resolutions, said the study highlights diversion's effectiveness, noting a clear commitment to offering appropriate alternatives. However, researchers found that diversion is underused: even in forces with established schemes, only a minority of eligible cases are diverted, as officers choose not to divert.

Prof Stevens said police now have an opportunity to reduce costs and court pressure by expanding diversion, but this requires clear leadership, training, and a cultural shift at street level. Former Thames Valley detective chief inspector Jason Kew, who developed a pre-arrest diversion scheme, added that forces could go further by creating specialist pathways for women.

The report also found that people in the most deprived neighbourhoods are more heavily policed and less likely to be diverted, and that black people are less likely to be diverted than white people for similar offences. Prof Kojo Koram from Loughborough University said diversion is a first step away from criminalisation but noted that Britain lags behind countries with full decriminalisation. Steve Rolles from Transform Drug Policy Foundation argued that diversion feels like decriminalisation without saying the word, but does nothing to tackle the harms of the illegal trade.