POLICE HAIL DRUGS TESTING SCHEME

DRUG and alcohol testing for police officers in North Yorkshire has
been hailed a resounding success.

So far, 227 of the 1,600 serving officers at North Yorkshire Police
have been put through the tests during random visits to police
stations across all areas of the force including the headquarters at
Newby Wiske - and every test has been negative.

Officers of all ranks from PC right up to Assistant Chief Constable
have been tested since the launch of the scheme in June this year. A
further 49 transferees, support staff and special constable recruits
have been tested for drugs and all those tests have also proved to
be negative.

There have been no new police officer recruits since the testing was
introduced, but all future new recruits will be tested.

John Fowler, the force's Substance Misuse Liaison Officer, said:
"The scheme is working very well and has been welcomed and supported
across all areas of the force. We are pleased with the results so far.

"The scheme reinforces our commitment to maintaining the highest
professional standards expected of us by the public we serve."

The Press told in April how the force was to become one of the first
in the country to bring in testing for alcohol and illegal drugs for
officers of all ranks. Individuals found with more than 13
micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath will be
"regarded as being impaired in their ability to perform their role"
- - despite the drink-drive limit being 35 micrograms.

Officers in "safety critical" or vulnerable posts, probationary
officers and new starters will all face testing, as well as people
who the force has reason to suspect is misusing drugs or alcohol.

Chief Constable Grahame Maxwell and Deputy Chief Constable Adam
Briggs were among the first to undergo testing, along with
representatives from the North Yorkshire branch of the Police
Federation, as the scheme was launched in June.

The tests are being carried out by an independent company. They
randomly select the day and time of testing, which can occur at any
time including weekends and out of office hours.

A computer programme randomly selects the officers who will be
required for testing.