PCC welcomes drug screening progress to break the cycle of drug crime

Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts has welcomed the progress being made to help people struggling with substance addiction to access support to turn their backs on crime.

The drug test on arrest (DToA) scheme was rolled out across Derbyshire as part of a national programme in 2023/24 to identify people in police custody whose criminal activity is driven by Class A drug use.

The move came as part of wider efforts to tackle crime more ‘holistically' by steering people with substance dependency into treatment and support to break the reoffending cycle.

Nationally, new figures released show that of 73,000 tests conducted in year ending Sep 2024 (data from around 30 forces), the vast majority (80%) were in conjunction with a trigger offence.  Of these, 56% returned a positive result for cocaine, opiates or both.

Currently, if a person is arrested for a trigger offence such as shoplifting, theft, burglary or robbery in Derbyshire they can be required to take a drugs test while in police custody.

In the event the result is positive, they are legally required to attend one of six treatment centres across Derbyshire for assessment, at which point they may be referred to other specialist services.

The DToA scheme has now been incorporated into the force's case management system NICHE which is improving referral rates and making it easier to prosecute those who fail to comply.

Additionally, the force is also implementing force-wide training to raise awareness of DToA to improve engagement rates. Testing has been widened to include those arrested for non-trigger offences such as domestic abuse, violence against women and girls and other offences of violence.  

Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts said: "So much of the crime committed in our communities is drug-related and will not go away by itself. We need to tackle these problems from the inside out and develop evidence-based solutions that help people confront these issues effectively.

"Drugs and substance misuse are a huge concern to local people, as evidenced in my recent survey. It is important to the public that offenders are robustly dealt with and held to account through the justice system.  I understand that, but it's vital that we support them to overcome their dependencies to prevent a revolving cycle of arrest. This is not a case of ‘either or' - the two can and should work together to prevent reoffending in the long-term. 

"The DToA scheme is a positive step in identifying those who need help, but its success is dependent on having the infrastructure in place to provide the level of intervention needed and strong and effective processes to ensure compliance. We are collaborating with partners to build on the positive work already underway."

More than one in three (35%) of residents responding to the Commissioner's recent Police and Crime Plan survey placed drug and substance misuse in their top three priorities for public safety.

In response, the PCC included drug dealing and substance misuse as one of six priority areas in her Police and Crime Plan and has vowed to work in partnership with key organisations to better identify risk and increase access to support and treatment to prevent alcohol and substance-driven crime.

The DToA scheme currently sees two drug workers based at Derby's custody suite to manage the onward referrals of those testing positive in office hours. Outside office hours, assessments are made via the online booking system by custody staff.

Anyone who refuses to undertake a test or fails to attend an assessment centre when required can be prosecuted, although those who fail to attend a follow-up assessment may receive a warning initially, as the focus of the project is on providing treatment and rehabilitation.