Police officers wasted no time in implementing new legislation as they arrested two individuals and seized nitrous oxide canisters, less than 24 hours after the substance was made illegal to possess.
Effective from November 8, it is now against the law to possess nitrous oxide for recreational use, classifying it as a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This change means that possessing nitrous oxide without a legitimate reason is a criminal offence, not limited to just supply and intent to supply.
Under this legislation, repeat and serious users may face up to two years in prison, while those convicted of supplying it could be sentenced to up to 14 years.
An incident occurred at Birchanger Services near Bishop’s Stortford, where an officer stopped at approximately 1 pm on Wednesday, November 8. A member of the public raised concerns about suspicious activity and directed the officer to a nearby car. Officers from the Chigwell Roads Policing Unit attended the scene and conducted a search of the vehicle.
During the search, several items were seized, including 19 nitrous oxide canisters. Two individuals, a 24-year-old man from London and a 23-year-old woman from Buckhurst Hill, were arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class C drug with intent to supply. They have been released on bail as investigations continue.
Less than a week later, on Sunday, November 12, officers responding to a disturbance in Grenville Road, Chafford Hundred, seized 60 canisters of nitrous oxide from a vehicle. Freddie Townley, 23, of Calshot Avenue, Chafford Hundred, was arrested and later charged with possessing a Class C drug with intent to supply, possessing a controlled drug of Class A, and possessing a bladed article in public. He is scheduled to appear at Southend Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, November 30.
Superintendent Phillip Stinger, Head of Specialist Operations, commented on the new law, saying: “We have welcomed the introduction of this new law, as it will give us as officers more options when dealing with the anti-social behaviour so often associated with the use and supply of nitrous oxide as a recreational substance. This means a proportionate approach to tackling those found in possession of nitrous oxide cannisters, including explaining the change in law and encouraging people not to use or buy the substance. But where we are dealing with a larger number of cannisters, it is right we take robust and swift action and put this new legislation to use. The use of nitrous oxide in public spaces is a nuisance to communities and has been shown to pose a considerable health risk.”
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Source: Essex County Essex
