President of the Barbados Road Safety Association (BRSA), Sharmane Roland-Bowen, remains hopeful breathalyser testing will be rolled out locally sooner rather than later.
The law, which allows the use of this device by law enforcement, came into effect from January 1, this year.
Roland-Bowen explained that before breathalyser testing can come fully on-stream, police officers have to be trained in its use. Additionally, public education is needed. She stated this is currently the point where it is at. She further stated the COVID-19 pandemic has caused some delays.
“I am still hoping and waiting on the breathalyser, but we know that our hands are tied where that is concerned.
“At present, it is with the police. Everything has been passed, the limit has been sorted out and so on, but it is with the police. But before the police can implement it, they need to be trained like how to be competent in the area of administering it to people because you want when they give it, they follow the correct procedures. So that if some person is found above the limit, they cannot question the police action or the way they carried it out cannot be questioned in court.”
She added, “You need to get within a certain distance of the persons in order to administer it, and it has to do with the breath and so, so what is happening is because of COVID [it] has been set back a bit.”
Back in February, acting Commissioner of Police, Erwin Boyce, informed the press that the Royal Barbados Police Force was focusing on public education before going the route of fully enforcing the new law.
The BRSA president said she is aware steps are to be taken in preparation for when the breathalyser comes fully on-stream. However, she noted time is of the essence.
“Don’t waste the time, train the officers in the correct procedures of how to administer it and also, use the time to educate the public because we know it is coming and there are questions that the public have. So use this time to educate the people on how it will be administered, so they would know how to breathe into the breathalyser.”
She continued, “They would also know that it is sanitary because the mouth piece is going to be changed; they come individually packaged. This is what the people need to know. So this time could be used; instead of wasting this time whilst we are waiting on COVID to subside or to go back where it came from, we can be using this time to educate police officers so that when it comes on-stream … that we can go right out and start administering the breathalyser testing of persons to see who is above the alcohol limit.”