The HMICS (His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland) review of SPA Forensic Toxicology Provision was carried out on request of Authority members, to seek an independent review and assurance on the response that has been taken to recent challenges for the service, most significantly the dramatic increase in demand as a result of new drug driving legislation in 2019.

The review commenced in July 2022 with a focus on the end-to-end processes, from roadside to court, for drug driving offences. This included an overview of the issues that led to 447 drug driving cases not being able to proceed to court due to blood samples not having been obtained, analysed and reported within required timescales. The final report was published in April 2023, making 25 recommendations for improvement including:

• The development of a long-term strategy for the delivery of drug driving legislation in Scotland.
• The need for sustained collaborative drug driving prevention activity.
• Internal forensic services procedural improvements in relation to how drug driving samples are tracked and managed.
• A review of current working practices, workload and work allocation for those within the forensic service toxicology team, as well as a focus on recruitment.
• A review of the functionality of the Forensic Services Committee to ensure robust oversight of the service.

The full set of recommendations now forms the basis of an Improvement Plan, approved by Committee in October 2023 with progress due to reported quarterly. Due to the wide range of recommendations the improvement actions will involve several of our partners, including Forensic Services, Police Scotland, and the Scottish Government.

Related content:
HMICS Assurance Review of SPA Forensic Toxicology Provision - 21 June 2023
HMICS Assurance Review of Forensic Toxicology Provision – Improvement Plan and timeline - 30 October 2023