Eyes on drug drivers

We join Essex Police on patrol as officers crack down on motorists who have taken cocaine or cannabis using Drugwipe tests

“i’ve heard people say they smoked cannabis two days ago, and the test has come back positive” MARK HEWITT Police officer

suspect’s tongue, replaces the cap then squashes a small vial housed in the end of the kit. This releases the chemical that detects cannabis and cocaine. A red control line indicates the reactant chemicals have been released, and we wait to see if a second line appears next to either the cannabis or cocaine. If this appears, the driver will be arrested.

The test comes back clean, and the driver says he was unaware police have the ability to detect drugs at the roadside. “I think it’s a good thing,” he tells us, going so far as to ask for a selfie with Hewitt. “I’m going to think about getting some tests for my employees. A lot of them are young.”

We head back out on patrol, looking for more poor examples of driving, and do a double-take at what we see next. A green Renault Scenic drives past with what looks like a length of coving sticking some way out of its boot. As we spin around and get closer, it soon becomes clear the load is also sticking out of the front passenger window by several feet.

We stay in the car as Hewitt deals with the driver and their abnormal load (which turns out to be a piece of conservatory), and he comes back saying his instincts told him the driver wasn’t high. With each Drugwipe test costing £18, it’s understandable he deals with the offence in hand rather than testing for drugs indiscriminately. And officers’ instincts tend to be accurate, with roughly 60 to 70 per cent of the roadside tests issued by Essex Police generating a positive result for cannabis or cocaine.

Next, a van driver gets a straight six-point, £200 penalty for using his phone behind the wheel, then we spot a Corsa driver not wearing his seatbelt, and the familiar lights and sirens go on. The driver steps out of his car, and Hewitt explains that he’s going to be tested for drugs. The motorist agrees without complaint and, once the test comes back negative, is dealt with at the roadside for the seatbelt offence.

We’re hardly on the road for 10 minutes when we see another driver with no seatbelt. This is the second green Renault Scenic we’ve pulled over, and Hewitt again judges its middle-aged female driver is unlikely to be high on weed or coke. Nonetheless, a quick check of her records reveals no insurance, and her “previous offending history” means her car is seized, so she’s sent on her way, carless, with the appropriate penalty.

Hewitt is singled-manned for this shift, so we have to wait for around 45 minutes for a recovery truck to pick up the Scenic, before making our way back to base.

While waiting by the roadside was frustrating, the varied and vital nature of police work becomes clear as we head back to the station. Great plumes of smoke fill several roads ahead, with one street rendered completely invisible by the thick fog. Hewitt gets on the radio: “Guys, is anyone attending or aware of the massive fire in the middle of town?”

The answer comes back negative, and Hewitt asks us to get out of the car, as he assumes the role of first officer on the scene. After liaising with firefighters and helping to cordon off the area, it becomes clear that a major fire has taken hold of a three-storey block of flats.

Our day may not have ended with any arrests for drugdriving, but it’s clear Essex officers are well attuned to look for its effects. We asked Hewitt if he had a message for potential drug-drivers. “Don’t drive,” he says. “It’s the same as drink-driving. It’s as simple as that.”

“My message to potential drug-drivers is don’t drive. It’s the same as drink-driving. It’s as simple as that” Mark hewitt Police officer

We get behind the wheel of the stunning new BMW coupe.

Is refreshed and newly electrified Korean SUV worth your attention? New executive estate offers a blend of quality style and decent space Series of revisions aimed at keeping Czech ’mini wagon on the pace

feels a little hefty, and perhaps not as quick as the 399bhp figure suggests.

Those massive Brembo brakes provide the stopping power required to halt this two-tonne saloon sharply enough when driven hard, but aren’t neatly enough integrated with the battery-recuperation system; at low speed you’ll find them very grabby and inconsistent, making the T8 Polestar Engineered a little laborious to drive in stop-start traffic.

In contrast, we did get to drive something a bit more representative of what most Volvo customers will actually buy, albeit not a car that’s confirmed for the UK. The T6 all-wheel-drive S60 does away with the hybrid system, the Ohlins dampers and the high-performance pretentions, but feels much more on the money. The trademark pleasant ride quality that you’d expect of a Volvo returns, with the car feeling a little lighter on its toes, too.

It’s more than just a green shoot for the S60, in fact; it’s confirmation that beneath the slightly mismatched T8 Polestar Engineered, a very worthy compact executive saloon is lurking. UK buyers will have to wait a while after the car’s launch to see whether or not they’ll be offered the 306bhp T6, but the front-wheel-drive 247bhp T5 version that we will get from the start will more than likely be 99 per cent as convincing an option.

The T6 Twin Engine plug-in and the 385bhp T8 Twin Engine should play out as much better choices for day-to-day use than opting for the Polestar-tweaked range-topper if you want a hybrid, too.

The S60 interior remains beautifully built, meanwhile. It directly mirrors the inside of the V60 estate, and feels entirely in step with everything Volvo has released since the XC90, which is a compliment, not a criticism.

The dashboard layout is neat, the steering wheel is wonderfully plush and trimmed with soft leather, the metals and plastics are all top quality and it all centres upon a slick and sharplooking 9.3-inch portrait touchscreen.

UK specifications are far from being finalised, but we’re promised that pound for pound, the new S60 will offer more standard kit, safety and driver assistance features than the German establishment. Watch this space.