Drivers could face random drink-drive tests

Police should be able to breathalyse drivers on a random basis according to an influential committee of MPs.

If a law-abiding motorist is stopped on the whim of a passing police patrol with nothing better to do, and is prevented from going about their lawful business (for no matter how short a space of time) then this should clearly be regarded as harassment and false arrest, if the motorist is compliant within the drink-drive law.

The law prohibiting people being drunk and disorderly in a public place still exists in this country, yet as we all know, this law is widely ignored by the police and only acted upon when the culprit becomes extremely violent.

Yet we now have this so called "influential committee of MPs" suggesting that the police be given more rights to persecute innocent motorists by randomly stopping them, holding them against their will and forcing them to take a breath test, when there has been no evidence at all that the motorist concerned has broken any law. If acted upon, this would be yet another infringement of our basic liberties.

By Peter Thurgood

Comments

[Paul Coombes]

This is being driven by the EU see http://tinyurl.com/36crh7j and http://tinyurl.com/3ybyqyg.

[nemesis]

Just like CCTV, this assumes you are guilty before having to prove your innocence, turning one of the main tenets of the law on its head.

[Natly]

http://www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk/News/Drivers-checked-in-Operation-Jackdaw.htm

This initiative has resulted in only 1 arrest for drink driving - also
5 vehicles seized for non drink driving related offences
1 arrest for posession of drugs
1 guy teaching his girlfriend to ride a moped
"various other offences"

So the police now have the right to randomly stop, search and detain any motorist with no reasonable suspicion using drink driving laws as justification.