Report Summary
Issued 26 August 2025, this FOI review response upholds the original response in relation to Controlled Drug Liaison Officers and the information provided to assist the requester.
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Response
The Scottish Police Authority has considered your request under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act (FOISA).
The decision has been reviewed by an independent reviewer who was not involved in the original decision-making process and we can confirm that the original decision is upheld for the reasons set out below.
The original response to your request explained that the Scottish Police Authority does not hold any information that would answer the question “has Police Scotland failed in their duty of candour by stating that “CDLOs are not mandatory”.
The review sought is not in respect of this response, but in relation to the information which was provided to assist. Your request for review states that the Authority appears to be under the misapprehension that Controlled Drug Liaison Officers are neither statutory or mandatory.
This is not stated in the Authority’s response. The response refers to the role of the Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer (CDAO), a role which has a legal basis in the Health Act 2006. A review of the Health Act 2006 and the Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2013 confirms no mention of Controlled Drug Liaison Officers.
