Drug driving blood tests 940/2025

FOI Reference: 940/2025

Request:

This is a request for the following information from BBC News to your police force using the FOI act and relates to suspected drug driving offences.

For each of the respective years 2025-26 to date, 2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22 and 2020-21 can I please ask for the following:

1. The number of blood tests sent to a lab for testing, taken from suspects, suspected of driving under the influence of drugs?
2. How many of these tests took under one month to be returned with a result?
3. How many of these tests took between one to three months to be returned with a result? 
4. How many of these tests took between three to six months to be returned with a result?
5. How many of these tests took over six months to be returned with a result?
6. How many of these tests were ‘lost’ or were never returned with a result? 

Amended Request:

Thanks for flagging this previous response.

I see that the level of detail that I am requesting won’t be possible within the cost limits.

However, would it be possible to answer question one for me as well – but over the time frame that I’ve requested?

Or these five years in particular please:

2024-25, 2023-24, 2022-23, 2021-22 and 2020-21

Response to Amended Request:

I can confirm that Dyfed-Powys Police does hold the information requested, as outlined below.

It should be noted that as a result of the systems adopted by Dyfed-Powys Police in relation to the recording of such information that the information released may or may not be accurate.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that Police forces in the United Kingdom are routinely required to provide crime statistics to government bodies and the recording criteria is set nationally. However, the systems used for recording these figures are not generic, nor are the procedures used locally in capturing the crime data. It should be noted that for these reasons this force's response to your questions should not be used for comparison purposes with any other response you may receive.

(This is a response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and disclosed on 03/10/2025)