Record drug-driving detections in summer month of action

Officers are getting better at spotting drug-drivers, figures from a National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) summer crackdown reveal. Nearly 54 per cent of the 2,022 roadside drug screening tests conducted in June were positive, up from 40 per cent the previous year and the highest figure since records began. Thirty-four per cent of drug impairment tests led to an arrest, a five per cent increase on 2016. The campaign also saw officers administer 45,267 breathalyser tests for suspected drink driving, of which ten per cent were positive, refused or failed. The number of breath tests carried out has reduced by more than half since 2013, but the success rate has increased from 4.5 per cent. However, the Police Federation of England and Wales believes the decline is due to falling numbers of roads policing officers. Dedicated traffic officer numbers have almost halved since 2,000 with just under 4,000 now working across England and Wales. Roads Policing lead Jayne Willetts asked chief officers not to further cut dedicated specialists in their forces. Recent Department for Transport figures showed the number of people killed or seriously injured as a result of drink-driving rose to 1,370 in 2015. Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry, from the NPCC roads policing portfolio, said: “We are committed to enforcing the law to educate people about the penalties they face and the serious threat to life presented by this irresponsible and dangerous behaviour. “While we continue to see benefits of new drug driving laws and testing kits resulting in more detections, the scale of this problem remains a real concern for police. “Thousands of people still attempt to drive after drinking or taking drugs – you are making a selfish decision that puts your own life and the lives of others at risk. Our message is the same all year round – don’t do it.”