Mobile drug testing: Cops go after cocaine users in roadside saliva swabs
SYDNEY motorists now face routine roadside tests for cocaine as part of a major escalation from authorities to stamp out drug use on the state’s roads.
NSW
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SYDNEY motorists now face routine roadside tests for cocaine as part of a major escalation from authorities to stamp out drug use on the state’s roads.
Roadside testing for cocaine officially began on Sunday, as part of the NSW government’s efforts to greatly reduce the state’s horror road toll.
According to the NSW government, 74 people died last year in crashes where the driver or passenger had an illicit drug present in their system.
Previously cocaine-abusing motorists were able to avoid being tested, with police only able to detect cannabis, ecstasy and ice during roadside saliva swabs.
Drivers could only be tested for cocaine if police suspected they are under the influence, with the driver required to be taken to a hospital for a blood test.
The crackdown comes as authorities also promised to double the number of roadside mobile drug tests to 200,000 annually.
Police Minister Troy Grant was one of the first to campaign for the changes, pleading his case to Roads Minister Melinda Pavey in August 2017.
“I would greatly appreciate your assistance and that of your department, in enabling this important strengthening of our drug driving regimen to occur,” Mr Grant wrote at the time.
Before the legislation could be introduced, Mr Grant had to ask experts from forensics to ensure the DrugWipe devices used by police were able to detect the illegal substance as each saliva swab cost around $18 to perform.
“When roadside testing of oral fluids was introduced in 2006, suitable equipment for detecting cocaine was not available,” he said.
“Technology has advanced considerably since that time and the testing of oral fluid for cocaine is now feasible.”
In November last year, Mr Grant followed up with another letter to Ms Pavey, which confirmed the DrugWipe 3S devices were ready to go after successful testing.
“This overcomes a key reason that the government and its predecessors have publicly stated as to why cocaine has not been included in the MDT regimen,” he wrote.
Ms Pavey and the NSW Centre for Road Safety were hesitant to introduce the idea, highlighting that only 11 drivers involved in fatal crashes between 2012-2016 had cocaine in their system.
Comparatively 292 drivers involved in fatal crashes were found with methamphetamine, cannabis or MDMA in their system during the same period.
Despite objections, the Road Transport Legislation Amendment (Road Safety) Bill 2018 was passed through state parliament in May this year.
Motorists who test positive for cocaine now face a penalty of $1,100 and a six month drivers licence suspension, while a second or subsequent offence carries a $2,200 fine and twelve months licence disqualification.
NSW Greens MLC David Shoebridge welcomes the addition of cocaine to the list of drugs tested using saliva swabs, having previously suggested the only reason it had been excluded was because it was the drug of choice of the rich and influential.
Sydney’s affluential Eastern suburbs will likely be the most heavily impacted, with a report released by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research showing cocaine usage had risen 45.9 per cent across NSW - in particular among those living in Waverley Council.
The Daily Telegraph has contacted NSW police for comment.
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