Substance Misuse testing in Force (956A/23)
Request
Police Drug Testing Policy Document
Please send a copy of your policy for drug testing of police officers and staff, or a link to it.
Random Drugs Testing data
How many police officers and staff (including PCSOs and Specials) have been subjected to random drug testing in each of the last five calendar years, plus the year to date (the last five and a half years)?
Please give their role or the type of unit they worked in (e.g. response officer, firearms, patrol, call handler, police staff, PCSO etc).
Does the test include screening for anabolic steroids?
For those who gave a sample (again in each of the last five and a half years) please confirm what type of drug/drugs were found and what happened as a result (e.g. warning, retraining dismissal, tribunal hearing, resignation, name on barred list, criminal charge or conviction etc).
In each of the last five and a half calendar years how many refused to give a sample and what happened as a result of the refusal (e.g. warning, retraining, dismissal, tribunal hearing, resignation, name on barred list etc)?
With Cause Drug Testing Data
How many police officers and staff (including PCSOs and Specials) have been subjected to drug testing “with cause” in each of the last five years, plus the year to date?
Please give their role or the type of unit they worked in (e.g. response officer, firearms, patrol, community, PCSO etc).
Does this test include screening for anabolic steroids?
If the tests are individually tailored as a result of the intelligence/information which gave the force cause to request a test, please specify in each case what was tested for.
Please give the reason why the test was requested, (e.g. violent incident, complaint, intelligence etc)
Of those who gave a sample please tell me what type of drug/drugs was found and what happened as a result (warning, retraining dismissal, tribunal, resignation, name on barred list etc).
In each of the last five calendar years, plus this year to date, how many refused to give a sample and what happened as a result of the refusal (e.g. dismissal, tribunal hearing, resignation, name on barred list etc)?
Response
We can confirm that some relevant information is held by West Midlands Police. However, while the some of the information is attached to this email. I am not required to release all of the information requested.
Police Drug Testing Policy Document
Please send a copy of your policy for drug testing of police officers and staff, or a link to it.
Please see attachment (Substance Misuse Policy V1.0)
Please note that some of this data has not been provided by virtue of the following exemption:
S40 (2) Personal Information
S31(1) Law Enforcement
Random Drugs Testing data
How many police officers and staff (including PCSOs and Specials) have been subjected to random drug testing in each of the last five calendar years, plus the year to date (the last five and a half years)?
West Midlands Police does not undertake random drug testing.
Please give their role or the type of unit they worked in (e.g. response officer, firearms, patrol, call handler, police staff, PCSO etc).
Not applicable – see above question
Does the test include screening for anabolic steroids?
Not applicable – see above question
For those who gave a sample (again in each of the last five and a half years) please confirm what type of drug/drugs were found and what happened as a result (e.g. warning, retraining dismissal, tribunal hearing, resignation, name on barred list, criminal charge or conviction etc).
Not applicable – see above question
In each of the last five and a half calendar years how many refused to give a sample and what happened as a result of the refusal (e.g. warning, retraining, dismissal, tribunal hearing, resignation, name on barred list etc
Not applicable – see above question
With Cause Drug Testing Data
How many police officers and staff (including PCSOs and Specials) have been subjected to drug testing “with cause” in each of the last five years, plus the year to date?
| Year | Type of employee tested | Refused to give sample | Drug found
(please say 0 if no drugs found or give type/types of drugs) |
| 2018 | 2x PC. | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 4X PC. 1XStaff | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 1XPC. | 0 | Cannabis. |
| 2021 | 1XPC. | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4X PC. | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 to date | 3X PC. | 0 | 0 |
15 x PC
1 x Staff
Please give their role or the type of unit they worked in (e.g. response officer, firearms, patrol, community, PCSO etc). –
Exempt S40 (2) Personal data
Does this test include screening for anabolic steroids?
No
If the tests are individually tailored as a result of the intelligence/information which gave the force cause to request a test, please specify in each case what was tested for.
Exempt S40 (2) personal data
Please give the reason why the test was requested, (e.g. violent incident, complaint, intelligence etc)
Exempt S40 (2) Personal data
Of those who gave a sample please tell me what type of drug/drugs was found and what happened as a result (warning, retraining dismissal, tribunal, resignation, name on barred list etc).
Exempt S40 (2) Personal data
In each of the last five calendar years, plus this year to date, how many refused to give a sample and what happened as a result of the refusal (e.g. dismissal, tribunal hearing, resignation, name on barred list etc)?
All gave samples that were asked