Home Office extends oral drug testing contract

Cozart – the medical diagnostic company – has announced that its contract with the Home Office, for the supply of the Cozart(R) RapiScan oral fluid drug testing system to the Home Office`s Drug Interventions Programme (DIP), has been extended by a further period of twelve months. This extends the contract until March 31 2008.

The DIP programme is designed to test those people arrested for certain trigger offences (including property crime, robbery and burglary) for the Class A drugs heroin, cocaine or crack cocaine. By testing saliva (oral fluid) for the presence of these drugs using the Cozart(R) RapiScan system individuals can be referred for treatment. The aim of the programme is to direct individuals into treatment and break the link between Class A drug use and acquisitive crime. The DIP is successful in engaging hard-to-reach groups and almost 2,000 drug misusers enter treatment each month.

The DIP programme is now being used in 173 police custody sites in England and Wales. The Programme was expanded in April 2006 to move the point of testing to arrest, rather than after charge. This is now active in 160 of the 173 police custody suites resulting in a two-and-a-half to three-fold uplift in the number of tests performed.

Dr. Christopher Hand, managing director of Cozart, said: “The Cozart(R) RapiScan system is used very effectively in the DIP, and in a variety of other situations, across Europe and other countries, including in the workplace and in drug clinics. It is heartening to see Cozart products contributing to such progress in the DIP across the 23 police forces involved over the last three years. We believe that the market opportunity addressed by Cozart(R) RapiScan and our new Cozart(R) DDS is continuing to expand as the importance of on-site drug testing with a saliva sample is increasingly recognised internationally.”