Policeman getting stoned, in a dreadful state (12)
I believe the answer is:
dilapidation
'state' is the definition.
(dilapidation is a kind of state)
'policeman getting stoned in a dreadful' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'policeman' could be 'di' (abbreviation for Detective Inspector) and 'di' is found in the answer.
'a' is found in the answer.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for dilapidation that I've seen before include "ruin" , "State of decay" , "state of disrepair" .)