Analytical Solutions
Drugs

The FSS’s drugs and toxicology services provide objective help in tackling a wide range of crimes. They include the handling or use of substances controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act, driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and more complex cases such as murder, rape and the use of drugs to aid a sexual assault.

A wide range of forensic tools are used to show whether people are or have been in possession of controlled drug; supplied or intended to supply drugs; produced drugs; or imported drugs. The majority of cases concern illegal drugs, but they can also involve those covered by the Medicines Act, fake pharmaceuticals, substances that are subject to import controls, or chemicals that can be used to make drugs.

The drugs team will use any forensic science available to assist the search for evidence, going beyond analysis and identification of the substance, its quality and the quantity present to look for opportunities to link it to other drug seizures or individuals.

Connections are sought to link drugs to people and to places. This approach can help piece together the line of supply and potentially identify other key players in a network, deploying where necessary other forensic skills, such as fingerprinting, handwriting analysis and DNA matching.

Advances in technology have made the analytical processes easier and quicker to accomplish. Beyond simple identification, the scientists use their interpretative skills to help construct further intelligence about the source and supply of a substance, helped by the UK’s largest drugs data bank.

Officers undertake fieldwork, often as part of a larger forensic team, visiting drugs factories and laboratories manufacturing illicit drugs. They also assist in detecting drugs that have been hidden in vehicles, clothing, books or other items, and when required will attend the scene of drugs seizures to provide on-the-spot intelligence.

The central FSS drugs unit gathers intelligence, both from the cases it handles and from outside sources. This information is collated and used for staff training and to provide police with intelligence.

FSS is also the UK leader in co-operating with international research programmes and operations. It is a key contributor to the European Union amphetamine profiling project, a database that links laboratories and law enforcers to target international trafficking.

An important new development in the field of toxicology is the testing of human hair and nails to determine whether a drug has been ingested – intentionally or otherwise. Analysis can also show whether a drug was used or administered just once, or on repeated occasions. Blood and urine are the most effective sources for testing, but drugs remain present only for a relatively short period of time. Using hair and nails thus provides an effective alternative when it is not possible to obtain other samples.

Scenarios in which FSS has successfully used this type of testing used include:

• Child custody cases, to demonstrate that a parent or carer has abused drugs or is adhering to a withdrawal programme
• Child protection cases, to assess whether a child has been exposed to drugs in the home.
• Drug-facilitated sexual assault cases, where an incident has been reported too late for blood and urine analysis
• Cases of possession with intent to supply drugs, to show whether an individual was a drugs user
• Workplace and employment drugs testing.
• Any situation where the lifestyle of an individual is under scrutiny

The drugs section numbers more than 100 reporting officers and assistants, working at FSS laboratories across the country. The toxicology team comprises around 25 reporting officers with a similar number of assistants. They are responsible for analysis of bodily fluids and specimens for alcohol, controlled and prescription/proprietary drugs; analysis of blood and urine for alcohol; and, in a dedicated Drugs Driving Unit, rapid blood screening for a range of common drugs.