Top brass gave 620 drug-taking troops their marching orders last year – signalling change in the Army’s attitude to those who fail drug tests
- Previously many who failed Compulsory Drug Tests were allowed to stay on
- But last year only three percent received waivers due to objective to shrink army
Top brass gave 620 drug-taking troops their marching orders last year – signalling a change in the Army’s attitude to those who fail drug tests.
In previous years high numbers of troops who did not pass Compulsory Drug Tests (CDTs) were retained because of a shortage of soldiers.
In 2017 as many as 40 per cent of those who failed CDTs were reprieved as part of the exceptional retention in service policy, which offered a second chance to teenage troops and those with otherwise unblemished disciplinary records.
But last year only 3 per cent received waivers, a clampdown which reflected the objective of senior officers to shrink the Army.
It comes amid a drive to reduce the number of British troops to just 73,000.
Top brass gave 620 drug-taking troops their marching orders last year – signalling a change in the Army’s attitude to those who fail drug tests (file image)
Further cuts are anticipated later this decade as the Ministry of Defence (MoD) sheds soldiers to afford more high tech equipment such as drones.
READ MORE: Defence chiefs have sacked 5,000 soldiers for drug abuse in just five years, figures show
The figures obtained by the Daily Mail revealed 620 of the 640 troops caught taking cocaine and other substances last year were dismissed.
Some 540 private soldiers were booted out, many of whom may previously have been reprieved. Sixty lance corporals and 15 corporals were also discharged.
The surge in dismissals is an about-turn for the MoD which has previously been more tolerant of drug abuse in the armed forces.
The department has always insisted publicly that drug taking is incompatible with military service and that officers operate a ‘zero tolerance’ approach.
But in 2018 The Mail on Sunday identified a case of a soldier being busted for drugs three times yet still he was kept on.
While in 2021 ten troops were dismissed after their commanding officer (CO) hired a minibus so they could be driven to a drug testing centre hundreds of miles from their base.
The soldiers were caught taking cocaine at a party. Test centres closer to their barracks were closed because it was a weekend.
The figures obtained by the Daily Mail revealed 620 of the 640 troops caught taking cocaine and other substances last year were dismissed (file image)
The CO feared the illegal substances could have been flushed out of their bodies by the time these facilities reopened.
In the same year a report by Anglia Ruskin University highlighted the ‘inconsistent’ approach of the Army towards troops taking drugs.
The research also indicated that some soldiers consumed illegal substances as a consequence of bullying in the ranks.
Today the MoD said: ‘We do not tolerate drug abuse and personnel caught taking drugs should expect to be discharged.’
Source: Read Full Article
