Rpfab Awaits – By Kisean Joseph
Rpfab Awaits Law Bring
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Police are calling for legislation to regulate the brand of breathalysers used by officers, a step they said is needed before the devices can be relied upon as evidence in court.
Corporal Brendan Sutherland of the Traffic Department within the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda (RPFAB) said officers currently have breathalysers on hand, but the brand in use has not yet been formally regulated by law. Without that regulation, he said, any readings taken could be challenged and potentially dismissed if a case proceeds to trial.
He said the Force is waiting on proper legislation to bring the devices into regulation, a step that would allow officers to use them with confidence that results will hold up to legal scrutiny.
In the absence of regulated breathalyser use, Corporal Sutherland said officers continue to conduct sobriety checks on the road through other established methods of detecting impairment.
He did not indicate a timeline for when the relevant legislation might be introduced or passed.
