After the interview

Fingerprints, DNA
And the Drug Test

Every new police recruit in England and Wales gives fingerprints and a DNA sample before appointment. Forces can also require a drug test. What the law says, when it happens, what your samples are searched against, how long they are kept, what the drug test covers and what to do about medication, CBD and past drug use.

Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated

Short answer: what is police biometric vetting?

Biometric vetting is the search of a recruit's fingerprints and DNA against police records before appointment. Regulation 10A of the Police Regulations 2003 makes the offer conditional on your written consent and a satisfactory result. Separately, the chief officer can require a hair, oral fluid or urine sample to test for controlled drugs (regulation 10(1)(i)). If you are appointed, your DNA profile is kept only for elimination and destroyed within 12 months of leaving.

This page covers police constable recruitment in England and Wales. It explains two checks that sit in the conditional offer stage: biometric vetting and the drug test. Forces run them in their own order and with their own providers, so the instructions your force sends you come first. Nothing here is a judgement about your own application. It is not legal or medical advice.

The two checks in brief

People often run these together, but they are separate checks with separate legal bases and different purposes:

	Biometric vetting	Drug test
Legal basis	Regulation 10A, Police Regulations 2003	Regulation 10(1)(i), Police Regulations 2003
Compulsory?	Yes, for every new recruit the regulation covers	Only if the chief officer requires it
What is taken	Fingerprints and a sample (hair with roots, oral fluid or a mouth swab, as regulation 19(4) defines it)	Hair, oral fluid or urine
What it looks for	Past police attention, use of another identity and links to unsolved crime scene marks or stains	Evidence of controlled drugs: five drug groups set by the Home Office
Consent	You must say in writing whether you consent	You may withdraw from recruitment instead of being tested
Who is exempt	Officers transferring from another force; special constables	Officers transferring from another force
After you join	Kept for elimination; DNA profile destroyed within 12 months of leaving	Probationers and serving officers can be tested under regulation 19A

Both checks are about trust as much as chemistry or matching. A biometric search can turn up an arrest you did not mention. A drug test confirms your current status. Neither replaces the vetting form, which asks about your history directly. The rest of this page takes each in turn.

What the law says

Regulation 10A: fingerprints and DNA. Since 20 August 2012, when it was inserted by the Police (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2012, regulation 10A of the Police Regulations 2003 has applied to every candidate who "is to be offered an appointment" in a police force in England and Wales. The offer is subject to three conditions:

you are required to have fingerprints and a sample taken;
you consent to the fingerprints and sample being the subject of a speculative search;
the chief officer is satisfied, following the results of that search, that you are suitable for appointment.

You must tell the chief officer in writing whether you consent. If you are appointed, the fingerprints are treated as if taken under regulation 18(1) and the sample, with any information derived from it, as if taken under regulation 19(1). Those are the rules that cover serving officers, so from your first day the material follows their storage and destruction rules. The conditions do not apply to an officer transferring from another force or to a special constable for that or another police area.

The Home Office's explanatory memorandum to the 2012 regulations gives the reason in plain terms: to allow a candidate's fingerprints and DNA "to be checked against the unmatched crime scene marks database" to establish whether they are suspected of involvement in any unsolved crime. It says the offer is conditional on satisfactory completion of that procedure.

Regulation 10(1)(i): the drug test. A candidate, unless transferring from another force, must give a sample of "hair or oral fluid or urine" when required by the chief officer of the force they are applying to. The sample is tested for evidence of controlled drugs chosen by the Home Secretary, using procedures the Home Secretary sets. Those procedures are in Home Office Circular 011/2012, covered below.

Provision	What it covers	Why it matters to you
Reg 10A(1)	Fingerprints, a sample, consent to a speculative search, chief officer satisfied	Your offer cannot become final without all three
Reg 10A(2)	Written notice of whether you consent	Expect a consent form to sign
Reg 10A(3)	On appointment, treated as taken under regs 18 and 19	The elimination and destruction rules then apply
Reg 10(1)(i)	Hair, oral fluid or urine for a drug test if the chief officer requires it	Your force decides whether to test and which sample
Reg 18	Officers' fingerprints: kept separately, destroyed on leaving	Applies once you are appointed
Reg 19	Officers' DNA samples: elimination checks, destruction periods	Applies once you are appointed
Reg 19A	Drug and alcohol testing of serving members, including probationers	Testing continues after you join

Where the four stages fit

Since 17 March 2026 regulation 10(1)(eb) requires constable candidates, other than transferees, to complete the national application form, pass the national sift, pass the online assessment process and pass an in-person interview with the force. Biometrics and the drug test belong to the checks that follow. Our pre-employment checks guide covers the whole stage.

What 'biometric vetting' means in practice

"Biometric vetting" is the College of Policing's name for the regulation 10A process. Its Vetting authorised professional practice (APP, May 2025) says that for police vetting, speculative searches of biometric data, meaning fingerprints and DNA, are checked against local and national databases to find out whether:

you have come to police attention;
any police attention was under the identity you declared on your vetting form rather than, for example, under an unknown alias;
you are linked to any outstanding crime scene marks or stains.

Where the searches are negative, the APP says the appointment can progress normally. Where they are positive, the force vetting manager is notified and the vetting decision is delayed until the issue is resolved.

In other words, biometric vetting is a cross-check of what you have told the force. Your vetting form asks about arrests, cautions, convictions and other police contact. Name-based checks search police systems for the details you give. Biometric searches add a check that does not depend on names: if your fingerprints or DNA are already held from an arrest, or match a mark left at an unsolved crime, the search should find it whatever name was used at the time.

City of London Police explains the purpose the same way on its careers site: the search is made against the local and national databases before appointment "to ensure that you have not previously come to adverse police attention, which you have not informed us of". It also checks that you are not linked to any outstanding crime scenes.

Why the word 'speculative'

"Speculative search" is a defined term. Regulation 10A borrows it from Part V of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Section 65(1) of that Act defines it as a check against other fingerprints or samples, or information derived from samples, of the kind in section 63A(1): material held by or for law enforcement authorities, or held in connection with an investigation of an offence. It is "speculative" because nobody suspects you of anything: the search simply looks for a match.

The Vetting APP also says biometric checks should be done for candidates receiving a conditional offer, "concurrent with the other stages of the vetting process". So biometrics are part of vetting, not a separate medical test, even when a force takes them on the same day as its medical or fitness test.

When it happens: what forces publish

The regulation ties biometrics to the offer and the APP ties them to the conditional offer. Forces fit the appointment into their own process. Some take samples on the interview day, others with the medical. These are the published examples we found. "Our tracker" means the row comes from our record of force recruitment pages, checked on 1 October 2026, because the force's site blocked automated reading today.

Force	Biometrics	Drug test	Source
Avon and Somerset	In the health medical step alongside the in-person interview; "biometrics which include fingerprints and DNA". Fitness testing and biometrics may happen before the assessment centre is completed	Not mentioned on the page we read	Force recruitment process page
Dorset; Devon and Cornwall	Biometric vetting samples taken on the day of the force interview (step 6)	In the background checks step (step 10), by a third-party laboratory	Shared selection process page
Metropolitan Police	After passing the interview, candidates do the medical and the fitness test; biometrics are taken at the assessment centre	Not stated in what we could read	Met recruitment page (search results); our tracker
City of London Police	"Should your appointment be progressed", fingerprints and DNA taken and kept on the Police Elimination Database	Substance misuse test listed	Careers "what it takes" page
Bedfordshire	Not described in our tracker row	After the interview: "a medical (including a drugs test)"	Our tracker
Nottinghamshire	After the interview and conditional offer, with fitness, medical, references and vetting	Drugs testing listed in the same checks	Our tracker
West Yorkshire	Not covered by the policy we read	Screening at initial recruitment for all police officers and special constables	Force drug and alcohol policy

Two practical points follow. First, if your force takes biometrics on interview day, you may be asked to sign the consent form before you know whether you have passed. That is normal: the force is getting ahead so the search result is ready if it makes an offer. Second, a drug test may come weeks later, at the medical or with the background checks, so do not assume that one appointment covers both.

For the full sequence of checks in each of these forces, see the order of pre-employment checks. For the medical itself, see the police medical explained.

On the day: what giving fingerprints and DNA involves

The regulations do not describe the equipment or the method. The force pages we read do not either, so we cannot tell you exactly what your appointment will look like. What the law does define is what a "sample" can be. Regulation 10A takes its meaning from regulation 19(4): hair (other than pubic hair) with the roots, oral fluid, or a swab taken from the mouth. Nothing in the definition involves blood or an intimate sample.

What to expect, from the regulations and the force pages:

A consent form. Regulation 10A(2) requires you to notify the chief officer in writing whether you consent to the fingerprints and sample being taken and searched.
Your fingerprints. Taken by the force or its provider. The regulations do not say whether this is by scanner or ink.
A sample. One of the types in regulation 19(4). Ask the force which it uses if you have a reason to prefer one.
Identity checks. The Vetting APP says identity should be verified with documents before vetting starts. Biometric results are compared with the identity you declared, so bring the documents your force asks for.

If you have a reason the method is difficult

If a disability, a medical condition, religious practice or anything else affects giving a particular sample, tell the recruitment team before the appointment. The regulation allows more than one kind of sample, so there may be an alternative. We found no published national guidance on adjustments for this step, so the force decides.

What your fingerprints and DNA are checked against

The search is against police records, not a general government database. From the sources we read:

What the search compares against	What a match would suggest	Source
Fingerprints and samples held by or for law enforcement, or in connection with an investigation	That you have been arrested, charged or reported before	PACE ss 63A(1), 65(1)
Records linked to another name	That past police attention was under a different identity	Vetting APP 6.5.20.a
Unidentified crime scene marks and stains	A link to an unsolved crime	Vetting APP 6.5.20.a; 2012 explanatory memorandum

For scale, the Home Office's Forensic Information Databases (FIND) Strategy Board report for April 2024 to March 2025 says the national fingerprint system, IDENT1, holds fingerprints obtained from persons and crime scenes by UK law enforcement agencies. At 31 March 2025 it held 1,908,991 unidentified crime scene marks. The College and the regulations say "local and national databases" without naming systems, so we cannot confirm which named systems your force searches.

Your own records are kept apart from the criminal ones. Regulation 18(2) says officers' fingerprints must be kept separate from fingerprints taken for other purposes. Regulation 19(2) says officers' samples and the information from them must be kept separate from samples taken under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. A recruit's biometrics are not added to the records of people who have been arrested.

If the search finds something

A match is not an automatic rejection. The Vetting APP sets out what should happen when biometric vetting produces a positive result:

the force vetting manager is notified so that appropriate action can be taken;
the vetting decision is delayed until any issues raised by the result are satisfactorily resolved;
steps to resolve it can include reviewing police system results, reviewing the case file of the associated crime, liaising with the officer in the case and an exploratory vetting interview "to identify if there is a legitimate reason for the trace";
the final vetting decision is made by the force vetting manager with authority delegated from the chief officer.

There are innocent reasons a trace can appear. You might have been arrested and released with no further action. You might have been at a place that was later a crime scene, for a legitimate reason. The process exists to find out which. An exploratory interview is your chance to explain.

What turns a trace into a serious problem is usually not the trace itself but a mismatch with what you declared. The College of Policing's pre-employment guidance says that where an offence, conviction or caution is identified but was not declared, questions are raised about openness, honesty and integrity, the vetting application is declined and the application is discontinued. If you have had any contact with the police, declare it on the forms so the biometric result confirms what you said rather than contradicting it.

Police staff and specials applying to be officers

The APP says that where a positive biometric result relates to existing police personnel, such as a member of police staff applying to become a regular officer, a referral must be made to the professional standards department. That is in addition to the vetting process.

If vetting is refused, you now have statutory rights to written reasons and an appeal. See what happens if you fail vetting and can I join the police with a criminal record.

Where your samples go and how long they are kept

Once you are appointed, regulation 10A(3) moves your fingerprints and sample under the rules for serving officers. Those rules exist so the force can eliminate officers' own fingerprints and DNA from crime scene evidence. They are strict about destruction:

Material	What happens to it	How long	Rule
Physical DNA sample	Used to produce a profile, then destroyed	Destroyed before the end of six months from the date it was taken	Reg 19(3)
DNA profile (information derived from the sample)	Kept separately from PACE samples; may be checked against PACE samples and crime scene material	Destroyed within 12 months of leaving the force, except on transfer to another force	Reg 19(2), (2A), (3A)
Fingerprints	Kept separately from other fingerprints	Destroyed with all copies and records when you leave; kept if you become a special constable in the same area, passed on if you transfer	Reg 18(2), (3)

The FIND report for 2024/25 describes the national system behind the DNA rules. The Home Office's Forensic Information Databases Service runs a Centralised DNA Contamination Elimination Database (CED). Elimination profiles from police officers and staff (and from others who could contaminate evidence) are checked against every newly submitted crime scene profile on the National DNA Database. Matches are investigated. Crime scene profiles found to be contamination are deleted. The report says that as at 1 April 2025, 3,103 potential contamination events had been identified, 2,950 had been concluded and 2,684 crime scene profile records had been removed. It confirms that officers' and staff profiles are kept for elimination for 12 months after they leave a force (except where they transfer) and that samples are destroyed within six months.

City of London Police describes its version for candidates: if your appointment is progressed, your fingerprints and DNA profile are kept separately on the respective Police Elimination Database, used "for the purposes of elimination only", so that marks left unwittingly at crime scenes by officers can be identified.

Why officers' DNA is kept at all

The Home Office's explanatory memorandum to the 2015 change says case-by-case checking had been "time consuming, expensive and ineffective". Since 1 April 2015 forces can hold officers' DNA profiles on an elimination database and check them against unidentified profiles on the National DNA Database. Profiles are kept for 12 months after service ends because contamination may not come to light for some time.

What happens to your samples if you do not join

This is the question candidates ask most. The honest answer is that we could not find a rule that settles it. Regulation 10A(3) says what happens "on appointment". It says nothing about a candidate who is not appointed. Neither do the force pages we read. The destruction rules in regulations 18 and 19 apply to members of a force, which an unsuccessful candidate never becomes.

What you can do:

Ask before you sign. The consent form or its privacy notice should say how long the force keeps candidates' biometrics and why. If it does not, ask the recruitment team.
Ask the data protection officer. Every force has one. Ask what is kept from your application, for how long and on what basis.
Make a subject access request. The Information Commissioner's Office says you have the right to ask an organisation whether it holds your personal information and for copies of it. Organisations usually have one month to respond.

Do not let uncertainty here push you into refusing consent: without it, you cannot be appointed. If the answer matters to you, get it in writing from your force before the appointment.

The drug test: what it checks

The drugs that recruitment testing covers are set by a Home Office determination, not by each force. Home Office Circular 011/2012 (30 April 2012) contains the current determination for regulations 10 and 19A (Annex DD of the determinations). For candidates under regulation 10(1)(i), testing covers:

Drug group	Examples named in the determination
Amphetamines	Including ecstasy
Cannabis	None named
Cocaine	None named
Opiates	For example morphine and heroin
Benzodiazepines	None named

The determination allows one extra drug or drug group only for serving officers tested "with cause" on intelligence. Even then they must be told in advance. That does not apply to recruitment screening.

Which sample. The Home Office protocols say that for new recruits "an oral fluid (saliva), urine or hair sample may be tested", while serving officers and transferees give oral fluid or urine. They describe oral fluid as possibly the least personally intrusive option and say blood should not form part of routine testing. The choice between hair, oral fluid and urine is your force's.

A note on dates

Circular 011/2012 is the latest Home Office determination and protocol we found. West Yorkshire Police's policy, last reviewed in January 2025, still cites it as the basis for pre-employment screening. If the Home Office has issued a newer determination, your force will apply that instead.

What forces say. Devon and Cornwall and Dorset tell candidates that all drug testing "is entirely confidential", that only the presence of illegal substances is disclosed to their resourcing team by the third-party laboratory. They add that prescribed medication is not tested for. West Yorkshire Police screens all police officers and special constables at initial recruitment. Bedfordshire describes a medical that includes a drugs test.

How a recruitment drug test works, step by step

The Home Office determination and protocols set the procedure every force must follow. Put in order:

Declare your medication. The protocols say anyone tested should declare all medications they are taking. This information should be recorded at the time the specimen is collected, not later. For recruits, they say collection and the taking of medication information may be done as part of the human resources function.
Collection. By an independent agency or suitably trained force staff, with a secure chain of custody from collection through analysis to medical review.
Split sample. Split samples are used in every case that goes to the laboratory, so one part can be analysed independently to challenge a result.
On-site screen. Portable kits may be used to screen people out early. The protocols say a positive screen is "a provisional indication only".
Laboratory analysis. If the screen is positive, the remaining specimen goes for full analysis by an independent laboratory.
Medical review. A doctor reviews a positive laboratory result with your medical history to see whether there is a legitimate explanation, such as a prescribed medicine. Either the laboratory or the medical review can turn a positive screen into a negative result.
Result. For a pre-employment test, the protocols say a positive result should be notified to human resources, so that the candidate may be rejected.

West Yorkshire Police's policy describes the same three stages (collection, analysis and medical review by a Medical Review Officer) and says a final result is positive only if the substance exceeds a pre-determined threshold after all three. The Medical Review Officer reports a negative outcome where prescribed or proprietary medication explains the presence of a drug. "If there is any doubt", the policy says the overriding principle is to give the benefit of the doubt to the person tested. Medication declarations are kept confidential and destroyed if the test is negative.

The determination also says testing "shall be carried out without advance notice". In recruitment you will usually know a drug test is part of the process, but you may not be told the exact moment, so do not plan around a date.

What a positive result means

A final positive result for an illegal drug at recruitment is very likely to end the application. Three sources point the same way:

Home Office protocols: a positive result from a pre-employment test "should be notified to human resources, so that the candidate may be rejected".
College Vetting APP (3.3.6): "failure of a medical drugs test" is listed among adverse behaviours that should lead to an applicant being removed from the recruitment process. The force should create an intelligence report on the Police National Database so the information can be assessed in future vetting applications. It must tell you that it is being recorded.
West Yorkshire Police: applicants who provide a positive indication after screening must be told the application will not progress and any offer is declined.

The APP allows for exceptional circumstances, in which case the force vetting unit must be told about the result for its vetting decision. We found no published examples of what counts as exceptional.

Reapplying after a positive test

We found no national rule that bars you from applying again after a failed recruitment drug test. But the APP says the result is recorded for future vetting, so any later application will be assessed with it in view. Be open about it on any future form. For waiting periods and how reapplying works, see rejected and reapplying.

If you think a result is wrong, ask about the split sample. The determination gives a member of a police force the right to have one sample tested independently. The protocols say the donor should always have the opportunity to challenge a laboratory result. They do not spell out a candidate's right in the same words, so ask the force how its process handles a challenge.

Prescribed and over-the-counter medication

Some medicines contain or produce substances in the tested drug groups. The Home Office protocols give the example that morphine in a sample "may indicate heroin abuse, or the use of a legitimate medicine", such as a painkiller or an anti-diarrhoea preparation. Benzodiazepines are also prescribed medicines. That is why the process includes a declaration and a medical review.

Declare everything you take at the time of the test: prescribed medicines, over-the-counter painkillers and anything else. The protocols say to declare "all medications".
Bring evidence if you have it, such as a repeat prescription list, in case the reviewing doctor asks.
Do not stop prescribed medication to "pass" a test without medical advice. The medical review exists to account for it.
Expect confidentiality. The protocols say declarations are confidential to occupational health and the medical officer reviewing the result. West Yorkshire says they are destroyed if the test is negative.

Devon and Cornwall and Dorset go further: their page says prescribed medication, "including that for individuals with certain disabilities or individuals that may be transitioning", is not tested for at all.

Your medication is also relevant to the separate medical assessment, where occupational health looks at fitness for the role rather than drugs testing. See the police medical and joining with a medical condition.

CBD oil and other cannabis-derived products

We could not find any police force, College of Policing or Home Office policing source that says how a CBD product is treated in a recruitment drug test. What we can say from official sources:

cannabis is one of the five drug groups recruitment testing covers (Home Office Circular 011/2012);
the Home Office drug licensing factsheet (updated 3 October 2024) says "Pure CBD, as an isolated substance, is not controlled";
the same factsheet says it is "highly likely that CBD products will contain controlled Class B cannabinoids, such as THC and THC-V".

So a product sold as CBD may contain the controlled substance the test is designed to find. We cannot say whether a given product would lead to a positive result, because that depends on the product, the sample type and the laboratory's thresholds, none of which forces publish.

Practical step

If you use any CBD product, tell the person collecting the sample and list it on the medication declaration, then ask the force how it is treated. A declaration made at the time is far easier to explain than a result that appears without context.

Past drug use: the test is not the whole story

A negative test shows your current status. It does not answer questions about your history. Passing it does not mean you can leave past use off the forms. Vetting deals with history:

the national vetting form in the College's Vetting APP ends with an "any other circumstances" question and lists "use of controlled drugs, non-prescribed steroids or misuse of prescription drugs" as an example of what to raise;
the APP lists "misuse of controlled or prescribed drugs" among factors that can impair judgement and create vulnerability to pressure or inducements (8.5.4);
arrests, warnings, cautions and convictions for drug offences are asked about separately on the form.

West Yorkshire Police's policy shows how one force handles it at the testing stage: candidates who say there is no current or recent use but disclose historic use "may be ineligible for employment"; occupational health gathers more information and the decision is made case by case. That is one force; others may differ.

The full picture, including cannabis warnings, cautions and how recency and openness are weighed, is in our guide can I join the police with past drug use. If you want a quick read on how your own history sits against the published guidance first, the free check below takes three taps.

Free quick check: 3 taps

How risky is my history for police vetting?

No typing, nothing saved. See what vetting looks at and what to prepare, from the College of Policing guidance.

What is in your history?

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Pick the main one. You can add more in the free builder.

Refusing consent

You can refuse. The consequences differ slightly between the two checks:

If you refuse	What follows	Source
Fingerprints, a sample or the speculative search	The conditions of the offer cannot be met, so you cannot be appointed	Reg 10A(1), (2)
A drug test the chief officer requires	You do not meet regulation 10(1)(i). Home Office guidance says a recruit who does not wish to be tested may withdraw from the process	Reg 10(1)(i); HOC 011/2012 Annex B
A drug test in West Yorkshire	Refusal "will render that candidate ineligible for employment"	Force policy

If your concern is about what happens to the material, ask the force the questions in the section above first. If it is about the method, ask about the alternatives the regulations allow. Refusal is final for this application, so get answers before deciding.

Who is exempt

Who	Biometric vetting	Recruitment drug test	Source
New recruits	Required	If the chief officer requires it	Regs 10A, 10(1)(i)
Officers transferring from another force	Exempt	Exempt under reg 10(1)(i); serving officers can be tested under reg 19A	Regs 10A(1), 10(1)(i); Vetting APP 6.5.20.e
Special constables becoming regular officers	Exempt from reg 10A; specials go through their own biometric vetting under regulation 1ZA of the Special Constables Regulations 1965	Not exempted by reg 10(1)(i)	Reg 10A(1); Vetting APP 3.3.5
Police staff (including PCSOs) applying to be officers	Required as a recruit; a positive result is also referred to professional standards	As a recruit	Vetting APP 6.5.20.d

The Vetting APP also says there is no legal requirement for police staff in general to undergo biometric vetting, but forces should apply it to front-line staff posts and those with considerable time spent with the public. If you are applying for a staff role, the job advert should say.

After you join: testing does not stop

Regulation 19A lets a chief officer require a sample of oral fluid or urine from a serving member of the force in four situations:

where there is reasonable cause to suspect use of a controlled drug;
while the officer is on probation;
where the officer's post has been identified as vulnerable because of a specific responsibility for dealing with drugs;
under a regime of routine random testing.

Breath testing for alcohol is also allowed with reasonable cause or under random testing, with a limit of 13 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The Home Office protocols say the penalty for refusing a test as an officer is no less than for failing one.

Your elimination profile stays in use throughout your service. If your DNA turns up at a scene you attended, the elimination database is how the force recognises it as yours and not the offender's. Forces also take elimination samples from serving officers more widely since 2015, so if you join, expect this to be routine.

Probation for a new constable lasts two years by default, or three years on the apprenticeship route. A chief officer can extend it. What happens in training is covered in can you fail the PCDA, DHEP or PCEP.

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Myths about biometrics and drug tests

"They put your DNA on the criminal database." Regulation 19(2) keeps officers' samples separate from samples taken under PACE. Officers' profiles sit on a separate elimination database, which is checked against crime scene profiles to find contamination.
"Police keep your DNA forever." On appointment, the physical sample is destroyed within six months and the profile within 12 months of leaving the force, unless you transfer. What happens if you are not appointed is not set out in the regulations; ask your force.
"A biometric hit means instant rejection." The APP says a positive result delays the decision until it is resolved, which can include an exploratory interview. A trace that matches what you declared is far less of a problem than one you did not mention.
"The drug test is part of the urine test at the medical." Not necessarily. The drug test is a separate legal requirement with its own chain of custody and laboratory. Some forces run it at the medical; Devon and Cornwall and Dorset run it in a later background checks step.
"Every force uses a hair test." The regulation allows hair, oral fluid or urine. The choice is the force's.
"Prescribed medication will fail you." Positive results go to a medical review, which looks for a legitimate explanation. Declare your medication at the time of the test.
"CBD is legal, so it cannot matter." Pure CBD is not controlled, but the Home Office says CBD products are highly likely to contain controlled cannabinoids such as THC. Declare it.
"If I pass the drug test, I do not need to mention past use." The test checks now. The vetting form asks about your history. Undeclared matters raise questions of honesty.
"Specials get through without biometrics." Specials are outside regulation 10A when they become regulars because they already went through biometric vetting under the Special Constables Regulations.

What to ask and who to contact

Questions worth putting to your force before the appointment:

When and where will my fingerprints and sample be taken? Is it on the interview day?
What type of DNA sample do you take? Is there an alternative if that method is a problem for me?
Do you require a drug test? Is it hair, oral fluid or urine? When?
How do I declare medication or a CBD product? Who sees the declaration?
How long do you keep candidates' fingerprints and samples if they are not appointed?
If a biometric search or drug test comes back positive, how will I be told and can I explain or challenge it?

Who to contact:

The force recruitment team for timing, sample types and the drug test process.
The force vetting unit for anything you are unsure whether to declare. Also for a biometric trace.
Occupational health, through recruitment, for medication questions.
The force data protection officer for retention and subject access requests.
A solicitor if a trace relates to a criminal matter you need advice on.

What we could not verify

What happens to an unsuccessful candidate's fingerprints and sample. The regulations cover appointment only. No force page we read gives a retention period.
Which named databases each force searches. The APP and City of London say "local and national databases"; we have not confirmed the systems used.
How far back a hair test can detect drug use; the cut-off levels. No Home Office, College or force source we read states them.
Whether a CBD product would produce a positive result. We found no policing source on it.
How many forces drug test every recruit and with which sample. The regulation leaves it to each chief officer and we have not checked all 43 forces.
Whether Circular 011/2012 has been replaced. It is the latest determination we found. A force policy reviewed in January 2025 still relies on it.
A candidate's right to an independent analysis. The determination gives it to members of a force; the protocols say donors should have the opportunity. Ask your force how a candidate's challenge works.
Current wording on blocked force pages. The Met, Bedfordshire and Nottinghamshire rows come from search results and our force tracker checked on 1 October 2026.

This page is general information, not legal or medical advice. Your force's instructions, the consent form you are given and the regulation text on legislation.gov.uk take priority.

The free evidence builder gives an overview of how your circumstances read against the published vetting guidance. The optional Vetting Prep Report (£19.99) adds a document checklist, likely questions and a draft disclosure paragraph. Neither predicts a force's decision.

Quick answers

Frequently Asked Questions

What is police biometric vetting?

It is the check of a police recruit's fingerprints and DNA against police records before appointment. The College of Policing Vetting APP says the speculative searches show whether you have come to police attention, whether that was under the identity you declared and whether you are linked to outstanding crime scene marks or stains. Regulation 10A of the Police Regulations 2003 makes any offer conditional on it.

Do police take your DNA when you join?

Yes, for new recruits in England and Wales. Regulation 10A of the Police Regulations 2003 says the offer of appointment is conditional on fingerprints and a sample being taken, your written consent to a speculative search of them and the chief officer being satisfied you are suitable after the search. Transferring officers and serving special constables are exempt.

When are fingerprints and DNA taken in police recruitment?

Around the conditional offer, but the exact point varies. The Vetting APP says biometric checks should run for candidates receiving a conditional offer, alongside the rest of vetting. Dorset and Devon and Cornwall take biometric vetting samples on the day of the force interview. Avon and Somerset takes them with its health medical. The Met takes biometrics at its assessment centre after the interview.

How long do the police keep a recruit's DNA and fingerprints?

Once you are appointed, they are treated as taken under regulations 18 and 19. The physical sample must be destroyed within six months of being taken. The DNA profile is kept for elimination and destroyed within 12 months of you leaving the force, unless you transfer. Your fingerprints are destroyed when you leave, with exceptions for transfers and becoming a special constable.

What happens to my DNA if I do not get the job?

We could not find a rule that says. Regulation 10A only covers what happens on appointment. The force pages we read do not state a retention period for unsuccessful candidates. Ask the force's recruitment or data protection team how long it keeps your fingerprints and sample. You can also make a subject access request, which organisations usually answer within one month.

Is my DNA put on the National DNA Database?

Not as a suspect's record. Regulation 19(2) says officers' samples and the information from them are kept separate from samples taken under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The Home Office's Forensic Information Databases report says officers' profiles go on a separate Contamination Elimination Database, which is checked against new crime scene profiles so contamination can be found and removed.

What does the police drug test check for?

Home Office Circular 011/2012 sets the drugs that testing under regulation 10(1)(i) covers: amphetamines (including ecstasy), cannabis, cocaine, opiates such as morphine and heroin plus benzodiazepines. For new recruits a hair, oral fluid or urine sample may be tested. A positive screening result goes for laboratory analysis and medical review before it is final.

Is the police drug test a hair test?

It can be. Regulation 10(1)(i) allows a hair, oral fluid or urine sample for candidates. The Home Office testing protocols say hair may be tested for new recruits, while serving officers give oral fluid or urine. Which sample your force uses is its own choice. Most force pages we read do not say, so ask your recruitment team.

What happens if you fail a police recruitment drug test?

Expect the application to end. Home Office Circular 011/2012 says a positive pre-employment result should go to human resources so the candidate may be rejected. The College Vetting APP lists failing a medical drugs test as adverse behaviour that should normally remove an applicant and should be recorded so future vetting can see it. A final positive comes only after laboratory analysis and medical review.

Will prescribed medication show up on a police drug test?

Some medicines can, which is why there is a medical review. The Home Office protocols give morphine as an example, which may come from a painkiller. They say anyone tested should declare all medications they are taking. West Yorkshire Police's policy says the medical review officer reports a negative where prescribed or proprietary medication explains the result. Devon and Cornwall and Dorset say prescribed medication is not tested for.

Can CBD oil make you fail a police drug test?

We could not find a police source that answers this. Cannabis is one of the five drug groups tested. The Home Office says pure CBD is not controlled but it is highly likely that CBD products contain controlled cannabinoids such as THC. If you use a CBD product, tell the force or the person collecting the sample before the test and ask how it is treated.

Can I refuse to give fingerprints or DNA to the police when applying?

You can, but you cannot then be appointed. Regulation 10A requires you to tell the chief officer in writing whether you consent. The offer depends on your consent and a satisfactory search. For the drug test, Home Office guidance says a recruit who does not wish to be tested may withdraw. West Yorkshire Police says refusal makes a candidate ineligible.

Do I need to declare past drug use if I will pass the drug test?

Yes, if a form asks. The test checks your current status. Your history is a separate question for vetting. The national vetting form's final question invites you to raise anything else that could affect clearance and lists use of controlled drugs, non-prescribed steroids or misuse of prescription drugs as an example. Undeclared matters that are later found raise questions about honesty.

Evidence

Sources and how we checked them

Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.

Police Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/527), regulation 10A: taking of fingerprints and samples prior to appointment : offer conditional on fingerprints and a sample, consent to a speculative search and the chief officer being satisfied; written notice of consent; treated as taken under regs 18 and 19 on appointment; exemptions for transferees and special constables; inserted by SI 2012/1960 from 20 August 2012 (accessed 21 October 2026)
Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10, latest revised text : 10(1)(i): a hair, oral fluid or urine sample for testing for controlled drugs when the chief officer requires it, not for transferees; the four recruitment stages in 10(1)(eb) (accessed 21 October 2026)
Police Regulations 2003, regulation 18: fingerprints : members' fingerprints kept separate from others; destroyed on leaving the force, with exceptions for transfers and becoming a special constable (accessed 21 October 2026)
Police Regulations 2003, regulation 19: samples for elimination : definition of a sample (hair with roots, oral fluid or a mouth swab); kept separate from PACE samples; may be checked against PACE samples or crime scene material; samples destroyed within six months; derived information destroyed within 12 months of leaving (accessed 21 October 2026)
Police Regulations 2003, regulation 19A: testing for substance misuse : testing of serving members: reasonable cause, probationers, vulnerable posts, routine random testing; oral fluid or urine (accessed 21 October 2026)
Explanatory memorandum to the Police (Amendment No. 3) Regulations 2012 (SI 2012/1960) : why regulation 10A was introduced: checking candidates' fingerprints and DNA against the unmatched crime scene marks database; offer conditional on satisfactory completion (accessed 21 October 2026)
Explanatory memorandum to the Police (Amendment) Regulations 2015 (SI 2015/455) : officers' DNA profiles used for elimination, checked against unidentified profiles on the National DNA Database, kept 12 months after service ends (accessed 21 October 2026)
Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, section 65(1) and section 63A(1) : meaning of speculative search: a check against fingerprints and samples held by or for law enforcement authorities or in connection with an investigation (accessed 21 October 2026)
College of Policing: Vetting authorised professional practice (May 2025) : biometric vetting at conditional offer (3.3.5); failing a medical drugs test as adverse behaviour (3.3.6); what biometric searches look for and positive results (6.5.20); misuse of controlled or prescribed drugs as a vulnerability factor (8.5.4); the vetting form's 'any other circumstances' question (accessed 21 October 2026)
College of Policing: Police constable pre-employment guidance (April 2024) : an offence, conviction or caution found but not declared: vetting declined and the application discontinued (accessed 21 October 2026)
Home Office Circular 011/2012: Testing police officers for substance misuse (with Annex A determination and Annex B protocols) : the five drug groups; hair, oral fluid or urine for new recruits; on-site screening, independent laboratory, split samples, chain of custody and medical review; declaring medication; a recruit may withdraw; a positive pre-employment result goes to HR so the candidate may be rejected (accessed 21 October 2026)
Forensic Information Databases Strategy Board annual report, April 2024 to March 2025 (presented December 2025) : the Contamination Elimination Database, how elimination profiles are checked and kept 12 months after leaving (1.6.2); IDENT1 and its unidentified crime scene marks (2.1, 2.2) (accessed 21 October 2026)
Home Office: Drug licensing factsheet, cannabis, CBD and other cannabinoids (updated 3 October 2024) : pure CBD is not controlled; CBD products highly likely to contain controlled cannabinoids such as THC (accessed 21 October 2026)
Information Commissioner's Office: Getting copies of your information (subject access request) : the right of access; organisations usually have one month to respond (accessed 21 October 2026)
Home Office Circular 009/2024: changes to Annex C (probation) : probation of two years by default, three years for the PCDA, longer if the chief officer decides (accessed 21 October 2026)
Avon and Somerset Police: Police officer recruitment process : one force's example: biometrics including fingerprints and DNA in the health medical step; may happen before the assessment centre is completed (accessed 21 October 2026)
Devon and Cornwall Police and Dorset Police recruitment: Police officer selection process : one recruitment site's example: biometric vetting samples on the force interview day; confidential drug testing by a third-party laboratory that discloses only illegal substances; prescribed medication not tested for (accessed 21 October 2026)
City of London Police careers: What it takes : one force's example: substance misuse test; fingerprints and DNA kept on the Police Elimination Database for elimination only; speculative search against local and national databases (accessed 21 October 2026)
West Yorkshire Police: Drug and alcohol misuse in the workplace policy (last reviewed January 2025) : one force's example: screening at initial recruitment for all officers and specials; refusal or a positive makes a candidate ineligible; medical review officer; historic use considered case by case (accessed 21 October 2026)
Metropolitan Police: Police constable recruitment process : one force's example: medical and fitness test after the interview, biometrics taken at the assessment centre (page blocks automated access; read via search results and our force tracker, checked 1 October 2026) (accessed 21 October 2026)
Bedfordshire Police: Police officers : one force's example: a medical including a drugs test after the interview (from our force tracker, checked 1 October 2026) (accessed 21 October 2026)

Related Guides

On this topic elsewhere

Pre-employment checks → Every check after a conditional offer, in one place. Police references → Five years of history, gaps and referees. The police medical → Tests, BMI, GP forms and what happens if you fail. Past drug use and vetting → How history is assessed and what to declare. Vetting for applicants → What the vetting form asks and how decisions are made. Criminal records → Automatic disqualification and everything else. How long vetting takes → Published force timings and the six-month rule. How hard is it to join? → Every stage, what it tests and the free tool for each.

Joining the police

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Guide CVF: public service The 2024 meaning of public service, where it is assessed and an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: we take ownership Level 1 behaviours, level 1 versus 2 and how to own a mistake in a STAR answer. Guide CVF: innovative and open-minded Level 1 means learning, suggesting, reflecting and adapting, with an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: other four competencies Where emotionally aware, collaborate, support and inspire and analyse critically are assessed. Guide Final interview by force The law now requires a force interview after the OAC; what all 43 forces' own pages say about it, with links. Interview Tell me about a time questions 36 past-behaviour questions by 2024 CVF value, each one linked into the free mock interview. Interview Scenario questions Where hypothetical questions come up, a simple order for answering and 18 practice scenarios. 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Disclaimer

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force and it does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Recruitment standards, assessment formats and vetting decisions are set by the College of Policing and each force and change from time to time: check the force you are applying to before relying on anything here. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.