POLICE 'SHOULD FACE RANDOM DRUG TESTS'

POLICE should be subjected to random drug and alcohol tests to prove that
the service is "clean", the leader of the Superintendents' Association said
yesterday.

Chief Supt Peter Gammon said that police should "set a good example" by
making compulsory tests part of the conditions the service for officers. Mr
Gammon, speaking on the eve of the association's annual conference, said:
"We are saying to officers 'don't take drugs'. But we're also saying 'don't
drink and work. Don't drink and carry out the duties of a police officer'."

In calling for service-wide, compulsory screening for drugs, both illegal
and prescription, Mr Gammon has taken the toughest line yet on drugs in the
police. Mr Gammon said: "There is a lot of debate about ethics and this is
one area where we can set a good example."