Home Affairs wants police to use drug screening kits
PORTABLE drug screening kits will allow police officers to determine when drivers are under the influence of drugs more easily, if the States backs a policy letter.
Home Affairs is looking to tighten Guernsey’s hazardous-driving laws
The committee is preparing a policy letter, which will see new offences created for 'hazardous driving', give the police more modern powers to test for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and create more efficiencies in the law to ensure justice can be delivered more swiftly.
Currently, the law has gaps in relation to hazardous driving and drug-driving, which leave the police with insufficient charging options.
The law also does not allow for roadside testing for the use of drugs.
Currently, roadside breathalysers are not evidential and therefore further evidential tests are required. The proposals will include the introduction of portable evidential breath tests for drink driving, which are already in use in some parts of England.
Roads policing inspector Thomas Marshall said that driving while intoxicated through drink and/or drugs was a problem in Guernsey.
From 2017 to 2021, an average of 103 drink and/or drug drive offences per year were recorded.
‘The new law will give officers new tools to accurately and effectively deal with road traffic offences,’ he said.
‘Specifically, we will be able to use evidential roadside breath tests for drink-drivers – test kits which are already in use in the UK – and we will be able to use portable drug screening tests, which give an indication of if any drugs are in a person’s system and therefore give grounds for an arrest for driving under the influence of drugs.
‘The new laws will ensure officers are equipped to keep the island’s roads safe.’
Home Affairs president Rob Prow said it was important the law evolved to keep up with the changing local drug landscape.
‘Updating the existing legislation will allow us to ensure our police officers and prosecutors have adequate charging options to cover all potential driving violations and also to impose appropriate penalties,’ he said. ‘We are also looking to ensure that justice can be delivered efficiently, without officers relying on calling out doctors.’
He said the law needed to adapt.
‘The recent availability of medicinal cannabis may well see more people driving under its influence, which could make our roads a more dangerous place,’ he said.
‘Whether it is scheduled controlled prescription medications or the general use of illegal drugs, it is indisputable that taking them can severely impact one’s ability to drive. As such, to protect our community properly we must ensure our police officers are equipped to deal with this offending robustly. This is another part of the committee’s work to ensure Guernsey remains somewhere safe to live and work.’
The changes aim to align Guernsey with the UK. It will seek to introduce two new offences – causing death while driving carelessly or inconsiderately, and causing serious injury by driving dangerously, carelessly or inconsiderately.
Both use UK definitions to align with its legislation. Updates to drink drive legislation will also align with the UK.
The policy letter should be submitted before the end of this political term.
