Is the PSNI having difficulty with you procurement of evidential breath testing devices and, if so, what is his assessment of the impact on the PSNI's ability to enforce drink driving regulations.There is no difficulty in procuring evidential breath testing devices as a number of devices are already approved and available to purchase.
However PSNI wants to future-proof our equipment purchase, so we are currently waiting for the next generation of devices to come to market in order that:
- We can enforce the reduced blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limits already on the Northern Ireland statute books and
- We can conduct roadside evidential tests thereby reducing the frequency that crews have to attend custody with offenders; we can maintain our policing presence on the roads and reduce demands upon our custody suites.
In the meantime, we have sufficient evidential capacity, spare machines and parts; coupled with the manufacturers continued back-up service, that we are confident that we have sufficient capacity to enforce the current drink driving laws.
Mike Nesbitt MLA