Suspects arrested for throwing missiles, racist chanting or invading the pitch at football matches could be tested for drugs under stronger powers to be handed to police officers.
Ministers have said they will expand the type of crimes people can be drug tested for, ranging from several offences under the Football Offences Act, anti-social behaviour to rape, sexual assault and grievous bodily harm.
Police forces currently have the power to test someone arrested for particular offences, on arrest or after they are charged, for Class A drugs heroin and cocaine.
Drug testing on arrest plays an important role in combatting the use of illegal drugs and the harms they cause by addressing possible causal factors in criminal behaviour
But the Government is set to widen the testing to specific Class B and C drugs – though this is yet to be confirmed.
The move comes as ministers say they want to tackle the root causes of crime and address the link between illegal drugs and offending.
Someone who tests positive for a drug can be referred to specialist help by police.
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Drug testing on arrest plays an important role in combatting the use of illegal drugs and the harms they cause by addressing possible causal factors in criminal behaviour.
“As part of our Plan for Change, we are expanding the police’s ability to use these powers to get a stronger understanding of the impacts of wider drug misuse and direct more people towards the support they need to overcome addiction.”
The minister added that widening the range of trigger offences is an “important step in our efforts to make streets safer.”
There are currently 21 offences that can prompt drug tests, including theft, robbery, handling stolen goods and possession of an illegal drug.
Fraud-related offences also on the list will be removed because there appears to be no link between drugs and those crimes, the Home Office added.
More than 150,000 drug tests on arrest were reported from March 2022 to September 2024, statistics last week showed, according to the Home Office.
Of these, 56% tested positive for cocaine, opiates or both, while available data found more than 50% of those who tested positive for drugs were referred to treatment services.
