𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Tens of thousands of criminals could be tested for class B drugs such as cannabis, under sweeping new changes.

The Home Office on Monday confirmed plans to allow officers to test for class B and class C substances when they arrest offenders.

Currently, they are only allowed to check for cocaine, heroin or other types of opiates.

And rapists, violent thugs and those caught committing anti-social behaviour could be tested for narcotics, under an expansion of the number of offences where officers can test for drugs.

It comes amid growing concerns over the links between crime and illegal substances. The Daily Express revealed drugs were linked to more than half of murders for a shocking fifth year in a row.

Some 56 per cent of killings involved drug users or dealers or were linked by detectives to the drugs trade. Almost 30 per cent of suspected murderers were drug dealers, whilst almost half of suspects were regular drug users.

Analysis of murder victims also revealed one in three regularly took drugs, while one in six were drug dealers themselves.

Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said: “Drug testing on arrest plays an important role in combating 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.

“We are also adding a range of new trigger offences, including serious crimes such as rape, grievous bodily harm and anti-social behaviour. This is an important step in our efforts to make streets safer and reduce serious violent crime across the country.”

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.