Cannabis Farms Conference-17 - conferences.ncl.ac.uk ...

Aim of the conference:
The County Hotel, Newcastle upon Tyne
http://conferences.ncl.ac.uk/cfc
To promote discussion between major stakeholders,
looking at new and innovative ways to work in partnership,
to help design out cannabis farms and to reduce the harm that they do to our communities.
All delegates attending the conference will gain:
An up-to-date appreciation of issues, problems, challenges and techniques, including
• examples of National and International best practice
• innovative technology for identification and location of facilities
• techniques for disruption and dismantling
• future strategies based on leading academic research.
Did you know that the electricity stolen to operate cannabis farms in the UK is estimated to be worth about £200 million? – this
would provide free energy for every household in Newcastle upon Tyne for a whole year! That’s just one of the astonishing facts that arise
out of the problems of cannabis farms in our communities. But, of course, that’s not the worst of it: more and more young people are
entering drug treatment programmes because of their cannabis addiction. In addition, there are inherent dangers associated with the
cannabis farms themselves. Plants are often grown in an extremely dangerous environment; with live electricity and noxious gasses the
farms can be a deathtrap and a real fire menace. Neighbours of the farms are usually completely unaware of the dangers that lie next door.
At this event we will be announcing the results of the 2011/12 UK ACPO police research into the scale of the problem in the UK,
and considering the implications for the future. We will be hearing from our colleagues in the Netherlands of their experience with a
successful pilot deployment of scratch and sniff cards, highlighting the public safety dangers of cannabis farms in terms of stolen energy and
fire risks etc. We will also look at the harm reduction and community safety aspects of the problem, as well as examining new research
and potential technological solutions from the perspective of the Fire Service, Crimestoppers and others.
We have much to learn from each other, so please do come along to this conference – to contribute your views, opinions and most
importantly your knowledge and ideas!

10:00 Registration and Coffee
1 st May
10:45 Introduction and overview
Phil Butler, Centre for Cybercrime & Computer Security
10:55 Welcome to the conference
DCC Jim Campbell, Northumbria Police
11:10 Home Office Perspective
Paul Chandwani, Home Office
11:30 The results of the National Problem Profile on the cultivation of cannabis
Commander Allan Gibson, ACPO
12:00 Experiences from the Scottish Crime Drugs Enforcement Agency
Kenny Simpson, ACPOS/SCDEA
12:30 UK cannabis yield research
Dr David Potter JP, GW Pharmaceuticals
13:00 Lunch
14:00 The Impact of Cannabis on the Community
Superintendant Andrea Henderson and Rachael Hope, Safe Newcastle
14:30 Hazards at scenes
Lee Aspery, County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Service
15:00 Workforce Safety
Iain Logue, ISafely
15:15 Dedicated cannabis farm dismantling unit – a cost effective solution
Mike Hall, West Midlands Police Dismantling Team
15:45 Dealing with cannabis farms on Merseyside
Denis Moran, Merseyside Police
16.15 Tea
16:30 Question Time:
An opportunity for delegates to ask searching questions of an expert panel
17.30 Close
The Panel: Chaired by Phil Butler, CCCS
Paul Chandwani (Home Office), Commander Gibson (ACPO), Kenny Simpson (ACPOS)
Dr David Potter JP (GW Pharmaceuticals), Rachael Hope (Newcastle City Council)
Lee Asprey (County Durham and Darlington Fire Rescue Service)

08:45 Coffee
09:00 Expert witness perspective
Steve Dorans, The Serious Organised Crime Agency
2 nd May
09:30 Operation Viscount - Disrupting but learning from the activity of OCGs
Paul Bunt, Avon and Somerset Constabulary
10:00 Operation PENNE – An intelligence led approach
Kirsten Jones, Cheshire Constabulary
10:30 Coffee
11.00 Capturing web based data to monitor OCG activity
Phil Butler, CCCS
11:15 Financial loss to the energy networks
Peter Jans-Rat, Enexis – Dutch Energy Provider
11:45 Technological solutions used in the Netherlands
John Jespers, Dutch Police
12:15 Crimestoppers – engaging the public
Nicola Moir, Crimestoppers
12:45 Dutch scratch and sniff cards
The Dutch Cannabis Laboratory
13.15 Lunch
14:15 Using RF technology to detect cannabis farms
Paul Deery, Bridge Systems Ltd
14:30 Advice and support for landlords
Dave Nicholson, Northumbria Police
14:45 The view from the landlord
John Henderson, Accredited Letting Agent
15:00 2012 and beyond
Terry Sweeney, Greater Manchester Police/ACPO
15:15 Closing remarks and Tea

Conference Venue and Location Information
Venue – The Thistle County Hotel
The conference hotel is very conveniently located directly opposite Newcastle Central Rail Station. This provides
access to all suburban and national trains, and also to the local Metro giving a direct link to the airport.
The address of the hotel is:
Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DF. Telephone + 44 (0) 871 3769029
The venue hotel has bedrooms available at a special rate of £85.00 inc breakfast on the evenings of Monday 30 th
April and Tuesday 1 st May, 2012.
There is a web link for booking these rooms at the County Thistle Hotel www.thistle.com/NewcastleUniversity
We have also secured a number of bedrooms at The Royal Station Hotel (which is opposite the venue hotel) at a
rate of £70.00 inc breakfast on the evening of Tuesday 1 st May, 2012. Please ring 0191 232 0781 quoting reference
number 432326.
By Rail
The rail journey from London (Kings Cross) to Newcastle (Central Station) takes just under 3 hours
From Edinburgh approximately 1 ½ hours; from
Manchester approximately 2 ½ hours
By Road – Satnav reference is NE1 5DF
By Air – Newcastle International Airport
15 minutes by taxi (cost £15)
The Metro train can also be taken from the Airport to Central Station (cost £4)
Commercial Cultivation of Cannabis, 1 & 2 May, 2012
To register, please complete this slip and return with your payment; early registration would be greatly appreciated and may avoid
disappointment. Joining instructions and the final programme will be sent to registered delegates about one week before the event.
Delegates are responsible for arranging their own accommodation (if required).
I would like to register for the conference - £125 VAT exempt (discounts available for multiple bookings)
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Please return this registration slip with your payment to:
Joan Atkinson, Centre for Software Reliability, Claremont Tower, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU
Phone: 0191 221 2222 Fax: 0191 222 7995 Email: joan.atkinson@newcastle.ac.uk
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