Delegation looks at UK drug driving enforcement
To get prepared for legislative amendments concerning drug driving, three officers from Traffic Branch Headquarters and Traffic New Territories North, Superintendent Wong Yiu-ming, Senior Inspectors Fan Man-fai and Yuen Sze-hoo, have visited police forces in Cheshire, Kent, Northamptonshire and Cambridgeshire in the UK to observe their practices in drug driving enforcement. The delegation has also met and held discussions with the officers of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on matters concerning training for impairment testing officers.
The increasing trend of drug driving and the hazard this offence poses to road safety has caused a grave concern in the community. In the first 11 months of this year, the police handled 73 drug-driving cases, compared with 26 in the four-year period from 2006 to 2009. Out of these 73 cases, 63 involved abuse of ketamine.
The Government carried out a public consultation between July and September on legislative proposals to combat drug driving, and feedback is generally supportive. Amongst the proposals are additional enforcement powers for the police to more effectively gather evidence to support prosecutions for drug driving. These powers include requiring drivers to take preliminary drug tests, such as a rapid oral fluid test and impairment tests, and to provide specimens of body fluid for analysis. In order to enhance deterrence, it has also been proposed to make it an offence for a driver to drive a vehicle while having traces of specified illicit drugs in his body fluids.
The Government is intending to introduce a bill on these legislative amendments into the Legislative Council in the second half of the 2010-2011 legislative session.
SP
Wong
has discussed training and accreditation for impairment testing
officers with ACPO officials, Mr Jerry Moore (centre) and Mr Roger
Agombar