Acid attacks: Police need kits to test for corrosives, says a report

Police should be given kits to test for corrosive substances during street searches to help tackle acid attack crimes, according to a study.

There should also be greater controls on the sale of corrosive substances, say researchers.

The findings come in a Home Office report looking into the motives of criminals who carry and use acid.

It found the substances are used in attacks because they are easy to obtain and can be concealed from police.

Researchers from Leicester University interviewed 25 prisoners in England and Wales and looked at 600 crimes involving corrosive substances for the report.

It is the first study looking at the motives of those who carry out acid attacks and was commissioned by the Home Office following a spate of incidents - mainly in London - in 2017.

Speaking to serving prisoners, researchers found that, unlike guns, "most corrosives were considered easy to obtain. Indeed, many forms of corrosives that were used (such as low concentrate ammonia) were available online or from high street retailers".

Offenders, who tended to be young men, described acid as an adaptable weapon that can be used in many crimes.

They also told researchers they didn't fear detection by the police because it was much easier to conceal acid than a knife or a gun.

The report found that over half of the corrosive crimes analysed occurred in areas that are in the top 20% most deprived locations.

Household products such as bleach were the most commonly used corrosive substance to commit crimes such as domestic violence, but ammonia often featured in robberies.

"It was noted that often using stop and search powers in such cases was problematic, and also there were particular issues with being able to accurately identify when a liquid in a bottle was a corrosive, given it was often a clear liquid," the study said.

It also found one of the big issues was the "ease with which one can legitimately buy and carry corrosives".

The report's authors also suggested there should be mandatory reporting to the police of corrosive attacks and better education around the dangers of acid.