FOI 255/25 Drug Test Kits
Enquiry Reference: 255- 25
I write in connection with regards to your Freedom of Information request. Below is your request and our response. Please accept our sincere apology for the late reply.
I write to you to request information under the Freedom of Information Act. This is in relation to drug testing and costings. In this request I refer to three types of testing. For clarity, when I refer to each I intend the following meaning:
Drug Testing Kits (DTKs) - Chemical tests used by frontline officers and staff to identify some controlled drugs. A list of Home Office Approved kits can be found for reference in Home Office Circular 005/2017.
Drug Testing Devices (DTDs) - Devices used by frontline officers and staff to identify some controlled drugs. A list of Home Office Approved devices can be found for reference in Home Office Circular 005/2017.
External Forensic Providers of Drug Testing Services - Private Companies that provide laboratory testing of seized drugs for Police Services (regardless of how that testing is performed).
Specifically, I seek the following:
- Which Drug Testing Kits are currently in use by your organisation?
Answer
Kit, Drug Testing, Marquis
Hair Drug Testing Kits. K-HAIR
- Please may you provide the unit cost to your organisation for each type of kit in use?
Answer
Kit, Drug Testing, Marquis - £138.86 per pack
Hair Drug Testing Kits. K-HAIR - £4.76 per unit
- Please may you provide the total cost to your organisation for Drug Testing Kits in the most recent full financial year?
Answer
£2383.88 (FY 24/25 to date)
- Which Drug Testing Devices are currently in use by your organisation?
Answer
We do not use Drug Test Devices in the Organisation
- Please may you provide the unit cost to your organisation for each type of device in use?
Answer
N/A
- Please may you provide the total cost to your organisation for Drug Testing Devices in the most recent full financial year (please include any servicing/maintenance/training costs)?
Answer
N/A
- In the most recent full financial year, how many items (i.e. individual exhibits) were sent off by your organisation to an external forensic provider for the purposes of identification of controlled drugs?
Answer
Unfortunately, there is no quick way to determine this number. However, we can say that we made 220 separate case submissions and the number of exhibits will have varied between 1-25 exhibits per submission. The only way to determine how many individual exhibits were submitted would be to trawl through the submission paperwork for each case, which would take a significant amount of time and resource.
- In the most recent full financial year, what was the total cost to your organisation for sending items to external forensic providers to be tested for the purposes of identification of controlled drugs (please include cost assigned to items sent to laboratories but not yet returned)?
Answer
The figure spent on drugs submissions is paid and recorded, upon receipt of the invoice. We do not monitor costs related to submission date (as the time taken for examinations can vary significantly, depending on the circumstances and type of examination). Therefore, we are unable to provide any data for costs related to submission dates – only for the invoices paid in that financial year.
With regards to the spend 2023/24 totalled £79,335.05.
The spend relates to invoices received and paid within the financial year, not the date of submission for analysis.
We do not have any drugs submissions outstanding or un-invoiced relating to the financial year 2023-24.
- In the most recent full financial year, what was the average (mean) time for completion of drug testing work by external forensic providers (i.e. the number of days between submission of an exhibit and the return of a result by means of an SFR)?
Answer
The average (mean) delivery time between submission of exhibits to issuing of the subsequent SFR was 105.9 days.
Please note that all statistical data supplied in relation to Freedom of Information requests is a snapshot of data held at the time the request was received by the Freedom of Information office and is subject to constant change/updates.
If you are not satisfied with this response or any actions taken in dealing with your request, you have the right to request an independent internal review of your case under our review procedure. The Freedom of Information Code of Practice (see below link) states that a request for internal review should be made within 20 working days of the date on this response or 40 working days if extenuating circumstances to account for the delay can be evidenced. Public authorities are not obliged to accept internal reviews after this date.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/freedom-of-information-code-of-practice
Yours sincerely
Information Rights Decision Maker