Police are stopping more drug drivers than drunk drivers the report has revealed (Picture: Getty Images)
Drug driving has become more prevalent than drink driving, it has been revealed in a shock police report.
Findings by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show an average of 80 motorists are caught every day.
However the report also highlights that many may escape justice because of delays in processing blood tests, according to the Mail.
Drivers can be let off because it takes four to five months to process test results and officers have only six months to prosecute.
It also shows that for first time since drug driving was made an offence in 2015 the number of prosecutions has fallen.
The report also shows that forces are powerless to keep drug- drive suspects off the road while they await results, and that one was caught another eight times in the intervening period.
The backlog of suspects has also lead to some chief constables telling officers to focus on drink driving instead due to cost issues.
On average around 80 people a day are stopped for drug-driving (Picture: PA)
To combat the issues with prosecuting drug drivers police are considering making convicted motorists to foot the average £500 bill to process their test.
Chief constables are calling for tougher sentencing and say the scale of the problem is being hidden because officers are deterred from testing for drugs and alcohol.
Ministry of Justice figures show that after six years of rising prosecutions, drug-drive cases have fallen 36 per cent – from 27,962 in 2021 to 17,835 last year.
At the same time police have put more drink drivers through the courts, with prosecutions increasing 16 per cent since 2020 to 33,099 cases last year.
But the NPCC report compiled following the first formal national operation to tackle drug driving concluded it was ‘more prevalent across the UK than drink driving’.
It warns: ‘Police forces have voiced that the sentencing is not stringent enough, for example if a higher dose of drugs is identified in the driver’s sample the sentence is rarely any different to a standard 12-month ban.
‘Forces have also stated when they put forward both charges to magistrates, (alcohol & drugs) the sentence is still not increased. This results in forces testing motorists for either drug or alcohol, not both. This leads to unreliable and skewed results and prevents a true reflection of this problem across the country being identified.’
The document sets out in detail the ‘challenges hindering drug-driving enforcement activity’.
The six-week national crackdown last year – called Operation Limit – saw an 18 per cent rise in arrests for drink and drug driving with 6,130 drivers caught compared with 5,186 in the same period in 2021.
Chief constables are calling on tougher sentencing for those caught taking drugs and getting behind the wheel (Picture: Getty Images)
On average, 80 motorists on drugs were caught every day during the operation but some of them may never face charges.
Anyone who fails a drug test at the roadside must have a blood sample taken by a ‘healthcare provider’.
However it may be hours before staff are available, by which time the drugs may have left the driver’s system.
Even when a sample is taken in time the report reveals that is taking ‘at least four to five months’ for blood tests to come back.
The backlog means some drivers are on the roads for months after testing positive for drugs and results may come back too late for a prosecution within the six-month time limit for cases heard in magistrates’ courts.
Another issue raised in the report is ‘significantly increased costs’ for blood tests. Experts estimate the bill for processing one is around £500, compared with 20p for a simple roadside breath test for alcohol. Police are now asking the Home Office to consider forcing convicted motorists to pay.
Ean Lewin of DTec International, which supplies roadside drug tests to all forces, said: ‘This report highlights the growing risk from drug drivers and how specialist roads policing officers need a more efficient, quicker prosecution system.
‘More specialist officers are required, a faster confirmation option of saliva for cannabis and cocaine could be taken at the roadside, processed in the laboratory and completed in a matter of days. This would mean a court appearance in the next week.’
An NPCC spokesman said: ‘There are costs associated with forensic analysis for this offence like many others and in recent years there has been pressure on the analysis capacity available to police forces which caused some delays.
‘However, because of positive and proactive engagement between the NPCC and analysis providers, we have now reached a position whereby there is significant capacity available.’
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Findings by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) show an average of 80 motorists are caught every day.
