Numbers of With Cause Drug Tests Carried Out on Officers 2020 to 2022

Keywords

With, Cause, Drugs, Tests, Positive, Result, Amphetamines Ecstasy, Cannabis, Cocaine, Opiates, Morphine, Heroin, Benzodiazepines, Anabolic, Steroids, Positive.

Publication Number

PUB 1461

FOI Reference Number

17305

Request Title

Numbers of With Cause Drug Tests Carried Out on Officers 2020 to 2022

Date Range

2020 to 2022

Information Requested

1. How many with-cause drug tests has the force carried out in the calendar years 2020 2021 and between 1st Jan 2022 and 18th July 2022.

2. How many of the tests carried out provided a positive result for any of the drugs listed below
Amphetamines (including ecstasy);

Cannabis;

Cocaine;

Opiates (e.g., morphine and heroin);

Benzodiazepines.

Anabolic steroids

3. How many of the positive tests were positive for cocaine and  Anabolic steroids?
If answering Q3 requires a manual search of every tested officer's personal  file please discontinue this question 

Disclosure with Exemptions

Full Disclosure

Information Correct as at

21 July 2022

Date of Disclosure

21 August 2022

Related Documents/Links

N/A

FOI 17305 Response

FOI Duty 

First Duty – Essex Police holds information relating to your request. 

Second Duty – See below.  

Fact – Centurion is a database used by force Professional Standards Departments. Cases are individually identified, investigated and managed within the Centurion system by Professional Standards overseen by management or the Appropriate Authority.

Post 2020 data Statistics follow the published guidelines based on the set 11 Complaint Categories A-L with 45 sub-categories and Misconduct Categories. Please see Statutory guidance on the police complaints system (policeconduct.gov.uk)

Disclosure

Data correct as at 21st July 2022

1. How many with-cause drug tests has the force carried out in the calendar years 2020 2021 and between 1st Jan 2022 and 18th July 2022.

2020 = One

2021 = Two

01 Jan – 18 Jul 2022 = One

2. How many of the tests carried out provided a positive result for any of the drugs listed below

One

Amphetamines (including ecstasy);

Cannabis;

Cocaine;

Opiates (e.g., morphine and heroin);

Benzodiazepines.

Anabolic steroids

3. How many of the positive tests were positive for cocaine and Anabolic steroids?

One

In an effort to assist you may find the following of additional interest -  

Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) holds the Police Force to account and has the legal power to hold the Chief Constable to account. 

The conduct of a Police Officer or a Police Staff member is an important issue and Essex Police regularly receive FOI requests regarding misconduct and complaints both the PFCC and the Police Service need to be accountable and transparent regarding this issue. 

In respect of violence against women girls (VAWG), Essex Police, the Fire and Crime Commissioner have been working with the National VAWG multi-agency to analyse our data and provide a data return. The following article will provide more context and information

Policing violence against women and girls - National framework for delivery: Year 1 (npcc.police.uk)

Data is regularly published via quarterly reports, please click on the following link:  Conduct & Professional Standards - Essex Police, Fire & Crime Commissioner (pfcc.police.uk)

Misconduct hearings and upcoming hearing:  https://www.essex.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/mis/misconduct-hearings/ 

FOI Publications:  https://www.essex.police.uk/foi-ai/af/accessing-information/published-items?q=misconduct 

Essex Police have an expectation that management and staff at all levels will lead by example, consistently displaying behaviour in line with the Code of Ethics | College of Policing and ensuring adherence to legal requirements and to all Essex Police policies, procedures and practices.  Through Prevention, Intelligence, Enforcement, Communication and Engagement, Essex Police is committed to making sure the opportunity for corruption is reduced to the lowest possible risk.  Where corruption is identified the organisation will deal with it proportionately and effectively.   

A member of the public can lodge a complaint regarding conduct with the Professional Standards Department (PSD), please see below link: https://www.essex.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/c/complaints/ 

Internal conduct cases (from staff v staff) are managed by Human Resources (HR) who will, if necessary, refer to PSD for formal assessment.  If formal misconduct is identified, HR will manage the investigation, however, PSD will decide on whether there is a case to answer through a disciplinary process.  Dependant on the circumstances, it can be in various forms, from an informal warning to a formal disciplinary hearing.  Formal misconduct cases are recorded by PSD on the conduct database.

If a complaint is about the conduct of a Police Officer or member of Police Staff made from a member of the public, the complaint will be managed by PSD and dealt with by either the policing area or department it relates to, through a local resolution or a local investigation.  This can subsequently be appealed to either the Chief Constable or the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) depending on the specifics of the individual case if the complainant remains dissatisfied.  If local resolution is not appropriate and the complaint considered serious, the complaint will be investigated by PSD.  Essex Police can also refer matters to the IOPC who may decide to independently investigate certain cases. 

Additional mandatory referrals and requested reviews can also be viewed via the IOPC web site. 

Investigations | Independent Office for Police Conduct

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