POLICE chiefs last night said they were powerless to stop a cannabis campaigner setting up a website under their name.
Web surfers logging on to northwalespolice.com go directly to a page promoting Jeff Ditchfield's campaign to open a cannabis cafØ in Rhyl.
The force was unaware of the website until contacted by the Daily Post yesterday.
Last night, police said they could not stop Mr Ditchfield but they warned him not to attempt to misrepresent the site as an official police force website.
A North Wales Police spokesman said: "We would look very carefully at the legal implications. It may be fine to register, but it is not fine to to use the North Wales Police name."
Asked how the domain had been left available, she said: "There is an infinite number of domain names and to buy them all would cost hundreds of thousands of pounds of public money."
Deputy Chief Constable Bill Brereton added: " If Mr Ditchfield has bought the site that is his prerogative. If he misrepresents himself so that he appears to impersonate a police officer or represent the views of the police force, then this clearly is something he must not do."
North Wales Police authority member and former authority vice-chairman Elfyn Williams condemned the action.
He said: "Of course this is irresponsible behaviour. I disagreed with the Chief Constable's stance on the legalisation of drugs, it was not in his remit nor the North Wales Police Authority - this issue is up to politicians to decide.
" While I respect their personal opinions they should not be forcing them down our throat. This man has jumped on the bandwagon and he is taking advantage by doing this."
Mr Ditchfield, a businessman from Henllan, is pressing ahead with plans for a cannabis cafØ in Rhyl.
He is now deciding what to do with the website, and he says he could make things even more embarrassing for the police.
The force's official website is north-walespolice.uk, and Mr Ditchfield said he was surprised to find only last week, while browsing the web, that the similar domain, north walespolice.com, was available.
He snapped it up for £12.99, and, while he is now considering how to develop it, the site currently contains details of his proposed cafØ, to be known as The Beggars Belief. The name was inspired by a comment by the Deputy Mayor of Rhyl, Coun Glyn Williams, on Mr Ditchfield's suggestion that pensioners could earn pocket-money by growing cannabis for sale to the cafØ.
The website contains the following quotation from the Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom: "I am aware of the debate over the setting-up of a cannabis cafe in Rhyl. This is against the law, and if the person responsible goes ahead he will be immediately arrested."
Mr Ditchfield said: " Considering North Wales Police have an annual budget of £97m, I was amazed that the domain had not been snapped up by them. It was a bargain, and the police can't complain that I have got it.
"To coin a phrase, it beggars belief.
"I could either have a direct link to the Beggars Belief site or, if I were really mischievous, I could create a page saying that northwales police. com support the legalisation of cannabis and sponsor the Beggars Belief, which would be entirely accurate.
"The police could, of course, buy the domain from me. However, I have been trying to discuss my proposal for the cafØ with the police, and they have made it clear that they cannot talk to me while I am on bail."
Mr Ditchfield is awaiting trial in Manchester following his arrest outside Britain's first cannabis cafe in Stockport. The two-day trial is due to take place in September.
He had hoped to open his Rhyl cafØ this month, but the opening has been delayed.
"However, I am extremely confident that it will now open next month," he said.
Mr Ditchfield bought the northwalespolice.com domain through the website www. names123 which lists numerous domains up for sale by auction or recently sold. The asking price for most is much higher than the £12.99 he paid. The police.co.uk site is being offered for £200.
