Traffic officers brush up drug recognition capability
The Road Traffic (Amendment) Ordinance 2011 came into effect on March 15, vesting police officers with more power to effectively combat drug driving. To further enhance the Force's expertise in drug recognition, Traffic Branch Headquarters sent a delegation to attend the 18th International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Annual Conference on Drugs, Alcohol and Impaired Driving in Seattle between August 16 and 18 for sharing experience and identifying overseas practices on drink and drug driving enforcement.
The delegation comprised Senior Inspector (SIP) Tang Wai-sum and Sergeant Chu Chun-hung, who is one of the two qualified Drug Recognition Expert (DRE) in the Force. After the conference, they visited the California Highway Patrol (CHP), one of the world's leading law enforcement agencies in drug recognition, to learn more about the training on drug recognition provided by CHP.
The delegation first visited the CHP Academy at Sacramento, California, and attended demonstrations on the training provided at the academy. They then toured the CHP Headquarters and met with the Commissioner, Mr Joe Farrow, to discuss matters related to drug recognition. The Commissioner was pleased to share expertise in drug recognition with the Force and looked forward to a closer working relationship between the two Forces.
The delegation also attended a Drug Recognition Expert field evaluation, which boosted their knowledge in drug recognition.
"The visit was an eye-opening experience and Traffic Branch Headquarters will continue to look for more opportunities and new technologies to effectively combat drug driving," SIP Tang said.
Traffic Branch Headquarters is planning to send two officers to CHP for DRE training next month to expand the DRE cadre.
CHP
Commissioner, Mr Joe Farrow (third right), and DRE officers with SIP
Tang (fourth right) and Sergeant Chu