This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Mandatory drug testing for anyone arrested
12/10/2006
Anyone arrested for drug or theft offences in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen will be subject to mandatory testing for drugs, under a new pilot launched today.
The pilots, which will last for two years, will give senior police officers the power to authorise drug testing and referral of people arrested for theft and drug offences where they suspect misuse of a Class A drug has caused or contributed to the offence.
They will then be required to attend an assessment of their drug misuse, with a view to helping them to address their drug problem and turn their backs on crime. Anyone who refuses the test or assessment will be liable to a criminal charge.
Deputy Justice Minister Hugh Henry said:
"Crime is falling in Scotland - with some 20,000 fewer crimes recorded last year. But we are not complacent and we know that keeping those figures down means tackling the evil presence of drugs in our communities which breeds crime.
"Currently around a third of all recorded crime in Scotland is related to drugs and more than three-quarters of those sentenced by the courts to a custodial sentence show signs of drug misuse and drug-related offending.
"We need effective interventions that nip drug-related offending in the bud and channel offenders into the treatments we are supporting. These pilots will give adults with drug problems in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, an incentive to engage with services and get the help they need.
"By coupling the wake-up call of their arrest with a route out of the spiral of offending - we can increase the chances of reducing drug-related crime for long-suffering communities.
"Efficient and effective justice is not just about punishing criminals. It is about helping people to turn their back on crime. Along with a raft of work including Drug Treatment and Testing Orders as a court disposal and arrest referral, mandatory drug testing has the potential to help break the link between drugs and crime and help deliver a safer, stronger Scotland."
Graeme Pearson, Director of the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency said:
'The powers within the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006 represent a further opportunity for the Police Service to contribute to the effort to engage more offenders in drug treatment.
"The Scottish service has long been committed to finding ways to break the cycle between drug addiction and crime."
Background
Investment in drug treatment - £66.7m in 2005-6 was allocated to tackle drugs. This includes a 92 per cent increase in funding to NHS Boards from £12.3m in 2000-1 to £23.7m in 2005-6.
Provisions to allow mandatory drug testing on arrest were included in the Police, Public Order and Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 2006.
Heroin, methadone, cocaine, Ecstasy, LSD, amphetamines (if prepared for injection) and magic mushrooms prepared for use are all Class A drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.
Mandatory drug testing is compulsory for anyone arrested for a drug or theft offence, whereas arrest referral sees anyone in custody for any offence offered a voluntary assessment and advice.
To support the pilots Ministers have already set aside 1m to increase the capacity of the treatment services in pilot areas.
£600,000 has also been earmarked to allow for the employment of assessors and further funding will be provided to the police in pilot areas to meet the resource needs of supporting these pilots.
The pilots are expected to be operational by summer of 2007.