Police and Crime Commissioner announces expansion of drug screening service
- LM News
- 1 hour ago
- 3 min read
People struggling with substance misuse who come into police custody will receive expert help to recover from addiction and turn their backs on crime thanks to a step up in drug testing.
Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews is increasing funding for the area’s Drug Testing on Arrest (DToA) service to boost testing capacity to divert more vulnerable people into treatment.
The PCC is investing £200k in the service over the next two years.
It will play a critical role in the PCC’s preventative work to reduce theft-related offences linked to substance misuse, often committed to fund drug use.
The upgraded service, provided by health and social care charity Turning Point, will fund two experienced recovery workers from 9am until 5pm Monday to Friday, with flexible Saturday morning cover.
This is a significant uplift of existing arrangements which have delivered limited rather than full-time cover throughout 2025/26 after additional funding from the Home Office ceased.
This will leave the service better placed to meet demand and will reduce missed opportunities to identify people needing treatment.
The recovery workers will be based at Euston Street Police Station in Leicester and will travel to Keyham Lane Police Station as required and according to demand.
The service will officially go live in September and will run until May 2028.
All individuals with a positive drug test will receive an initial assessment and will be supported and offered a clear pathway into treatment.
Additionally, detainees identified as opiate users will be offered the overdose prevention drug Naloxone which has saved countless lives since it was rolled out across England and Wales.
Data shows that a significant proportion of those testing positive for drugs upon arrest are involved in theft, with one study indicating that theft accounted for 43% to 48% of positive drug tests in certain areas.
Preventing and Tackling Crime and Harm is a key mission in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan, with the Commissioner committed to diverting vulnerable adults and young people away from the criminal justice system to build safer, stronger and more resilient communities and to reduce pressure on public services.
Police and Crime Commissioner Rupert Matthews said:
“Drug addiction is all too often at the heart of criminal behaviour, driving people to repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Punitive measures are usually futile in these circumstances and unless individuals are supported to recover from the source of their problems, they will become trapped in the revolving justice loop.
"There are no quick fixes to addiction, but with the right treatment and sustained support, people are far more likely to recover and rebuild their lives. That is the principle behind the DTOA scheme: by helping people overcome addiction, we not only improve their prospects and wellbeing, but also tackle the root cause of the offending behaviour that their addiction often drives, thereby preventing repeat offences.
“For some individuals, this scheme will involve confronting their addiction for the very first time in their lives - but importantly they will not be doing it alone.”
DToA was initially introduced to Leicestershire Police in 2021, supported by extra funding made available from the Home Office over the course of three years.
Leicestershire Police was identified as an ‘expansion force’ with a remit to build and innovate the existing nationally recognised DToA framework.
In the first year of the scheme, 240 individuals entered drug treatment over the 12-month period, many of whom would otherwise not have had the opportunity and encouragement to do so.
Over the next three years, the programme provided clear evidence that custody-based assessments/interventions delivered immediately after any positive drug test provided the best chance of a successful outcome, rather than relying on community-based appointments set weeks in advance.
