Illicit drug use by police: Informing the development of a framework for prevention and disruption

Illicit drug use by police officers is a critical issue for contemporary policing organisations due to the high-risk nature of the profession and elevated integrity expectations of the community they serve. However, there is limited research surrounding illicit drug use by police. Drug management in the workplace is mainly grouped with alcohol misuse which has received far greater focus in previous studies surrounding police officer substance abuse. The aim of this study was to better understand the nature of the problem by exploring the behaviours and attitudes of 12 Queensland Police Service (QPS) officers detected using illicit drugs, with focus on identifying how best to approach the problem. The research was both explorative and descriptive in design. Secondary data were collected from investigative material, primarily interviews and questioning of officers, and an interpretive content analysis was used to analyse the text. The findings revealed three main themes: ‘Characteristics, behaviours and attitudes’, ‘Associated risk factors’, and ‘System issues’. The findings suggest cultural shift where officers can disassociate their off-duty illicit drug use from their obligations as a sworn QPS member. QPS’s current reactionary drug regulatory system provides limited deterrence. This paper combines academic research and investigations to inform QPS strategies for detecting and deterring illicit drug use by its employees. The findings of this research hold important implications for drug testing policy and procedures for QPS specifically, but also provide understanding for other policing jurisdictions regarding behaviours and attitudes of individual officers who have engaged in illicit drug use.