Police Drug Testing

Response

1. Please see below. This has been extracted from our ‘Alcohol and Substance Misuse Procedural Guidance’.

Section 5                Drug Testing

5.1       Drug testing will test for the illicit use of the following substances:

• Amphetamines (including ecstasy)
• Cannabis
• Cocaine
• Opiates (e.g., morphine and heroin)
• Benzodiazepines

5.2       Where testing is carried out because the Chief Officer has reasonable cause to suspect, on the basis of intelligence, that the Officer has used a controlled drug, the testing may cover one other controlled drug or drug group in addition to the controlled drugs listed above, provided that the Officer is informed prior to testing of the drug or drugs group for which they are to be tested.

5.3       Drug testing may be carried out in the following circumstances:

• Testing with cause (where there is a reasonable suspicion of substance misuse)
• Pre-employment screening and testing in the probationary period
• As part of a random routine testing regime
• Random screening of Officers in posts identified by the chief Constable as being vulnerable

5.4       For police officers, “Vulnerable Posts” are those identified by the Chief Officer as being vulnerable because of a specific responsibility for dealing with drugs. In Avon and Somerset Constabulary this has been identified as any police officer whose post requires them to take possession of a controlled drug (including all patrol officers), any police officer engaged in handling Covert Human Intelligence Sources, and any police officer engaged in test purchase or undercover operations.

5.5       For police staff, “Vulnerable Posts” have been identified as Crime Scene Investigators, Detention Officer Drug Testers and DPR staff.

5.6       All candidates for employment in Avon and Somerset Constabulary can be the subject of a drug test, which will be by means of the provision of a sample of hair, urine, or oral fluid (saliva) for analysis. The Constabulary will decide which sample will be requested. If a candidate does not wish to submit to a test, he or she may withdraw from the recruitment process.

5.7       Police officers and police staff who give cause to suspect that a controlled drug has been used will be required to provide a specimen of urine or oral fluid (saliva) for analysis to establish if there has been the illicit use of a Controlled Drug. The choice of sample will be made by the officer making the requirement. Any such request will be authorised by the Head of Professional Standards.

5.8       For “cause” to be established, the test of “reasonable suspicion” must be satisfied. A single and unsubstantiated allegation, particularly if made by a member of the public who may have malicious intent, would not normally amount to cause.

5.9       The Police (Amendment No 2) Regulations 2012 allows for the testing of any member of a Police Force as part of a routine random testing regime rather than the testing of members in particular categories or particular circumstances.

5.10     An Officer of at least the rank of Assistant Chief Constable may authorise a maximum of 3 samples of urine or oral fluid (saliva) to be required from an Officer in their Force (or on secondment to or from their Force) where there is corroborative intelligence which gives reasonable cause to suspect that the Officer has used a controlled drug over an extended period (i.e., on more than one occasion).

5.11     The 3 samples can be required over a maximum period of 90 days, with day one being the day on which the first sample is required and the period finishing at midnight on day 90. When calculating the 90-day period, no account should be taken of any periods of sick leave.

5.12     The Officer will not be given any advance notice of the requirement to provide each sample.

5.13     The Officer will be informed at the time that the first sample is required that 2 further samples may be required within the designated time period. On each occasion a sample is taken the Officer will be informed of the drug or drugs group against which their sample will be tested.

5.14     The Officer will be entitled to have a Police “friend” as defined in the Police (Conduct) Regulations 2008 present when the samples are being taken. However, a delay in the friend attending will not delay the testing procedure provided that the Officer has been able to consult a police friend.

2. Prior to 2022, while some information relating to this question is held, this is anecdotal and not recorded within the specified categories.  For the categories of information requested, data is held from 2022 onwards.  This has been provided below.

The following table shows the recorded number of random drug tests on Police Officers and Police Staff in 2022 and 2023. This test does not include screening for anabolic steroids.

*As of 29^th June 2023

3. The following table shows the recorded number of drug tests ‘with a cause’ in the requested time frame. This test does not include screening for anabolic steroids.

*As of 29^th June 2023