Just 1 in 7 gardaí trained to give drug-drive test
JUST one in seven gardaí have been trained to use roadside drug-driving equipment since new laws were brought in to tackle the issue six months ago.
New figures released to the Irish Daily Mail show that 1,774 officers out of 13,301 (approximately 14%) members have received the training to use the new drug-driving devices since they were rolled out in April.
The new device can detect the presence of cannabis, cocaine and heroin following a saliva test at the roadside.
Motorists who test positive face a fouryear road ban, a €5,000 fine and up to six months in prison.
The ‘spit sample’ gadget was chosen after an eight-month scientific testing process by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety, but the Mail can reveal that just a fraction of the total number of gardaí have been trained to use the devices.
A Garda spokesperson said: ‘Training in respect of roadside drug testing is currently ongoing.
‘[A total of] 1,774 members of An Garda Síochána nationwide had been trained in the use of this equipment as of the September 22, 2017. The personnel strength of An Garda Síochána as of July 31, 2017, is 13,301 members.’
A spokesperson for the Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors admitted training must be accelerated to get frontline gardaí trained ‘as soon as possible’.
He said: ‘We don’t have access to official figures, but don’t dispute those provided. However, the ongoing training programme is welcome.
‘We are conscious this training is needed by frontline operational gardaí and should be accelerated to have all relevant members trained as soon as possible.’
Fianna Fáil’s justice spokesperson Jim O’Callaghan hit out at the delay and said more gardaí must be trained in how to use the new technology if our police force is to have any chance to enforce the laws against drug driving.
Mr O’Callaghan said: ‘Drug driving is as serious a threat to road safety as is drink driving.
‘Therefore, it is essential that sufficient numbers of An Garda Síochána are trained to administer the drug-driving tests in the same way they are trained to administer drink driving tests.
‘If there is not an equal number of gardaí trained for drug-driving testing as for drink-driving testing then our law against drug driving will not be properly and fully enforced in the way it should be.’
The Road Traffic Bill of 2015 provided for roadside testing for drugs by gardaí, expanding the legislation on drug driving to make it comparable to existing laws covering drink driving.
The hand-held spit sample devices can detect the presence of illegal drugs in a motorist’s system, and if a motorist fails the saliva drugs tests, gardaí will have the powers to arrest them on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs.
The motorists will then be compelled to provide a further sample, either a blood or urine sample, at a Garda station to confirm the presence of drugs in the driver’s system.
The new laws came into effect on April 12 this year, but it was since reported that the drug-testing devices, which have single-use mouthpieces which must be changed after each test, do not function if the temperature drops below four degrees Celsius.
Christina Donnelly, whose son Brendan, 24, was killed by a driver under the influence of drugs and alcohol, previously told the Mail that tougher sentencing laws were needed to deal with the ongoing issue of drug driving in Ireland.
She said: ‘My son’s life was snatched away. People who drink or take drugs and drive can never understand the pain they cause.’
Ms Donnelly’s son Brendan and his friend, Lee Salkeld, 26, were killed in a crash in October 2009 caused by Anthony Long after he consumed 23 drinks and cocaine.
A year after the crash, Long was jailed for five years and disqualified from driving for 15 years.
‘Training is needed by frontline gardaí’