The number of young people caught with drugs at school and college rose by more than 27 per cent in four years, a freedom of information request has revealed.
A total of 2,643 incidents were reported to 23 police forces in England and Wales between January 2016 and December 2019. Last year 751 cases were reported, a 27.5 per cent increase from 589 cases in 2016.
Although 15-year-olds were most commonly involved in the offences, Gwent Police reported one nine-year-old child being caught with cannabis at primary school.
Snapchat
The total number of incidents is expected to be even higher, as some of the largest police forces did not provide information.
Cannabis was involved in 1,899 cases, ecstasy in 64 incidents and cocaine in 58. The majority of cases were for possession, but over 100 were related to supply or trafficking.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that a 14-year-old boy was able to buy a Class A drug on a popular social media platform.
Working undercover for the BBC, the teenager ordered two grams of ecstasy on Snapchat. A BBC reporter picked up the drug just minutes later.
