DRE joins police drugs fight
Thursday, 08 December, 2011
North Yorkshire Police is better prepared than ever to combat drug drivers on the county's roads this Christmas.
The force now has one of only seven Drug Recognition Experts (DRE) in the entire country patrolling the highways after Traffic Constable Yvonne Taylor, who is based at Tadcaster, passed an intensive three week scholarship course in Sacramento, California.
She now has the skills and knowledge to prove drug impairment has an influence on an individual's ability to drive and her qualification is recognised at expert level by the courts. This is a huge bonus as officers launched this year's drink and drug drive campaign on 1 December.
Traffic Sergeant Ian Pope, of North Yorkshire Police's Roads Policing Group, said: "TC Taylor's trip to America, which was financed by the International Police Association, means she is now a qualified Drugs Recognition Expert. This is a massive positive for North Yorkshire Police in the fight against drug driving and TC Taylor's skills will make it far easier for us to prove offences have been committed and bring offenders to justice."
TC Taylor also spent part of the summer brushing up on her drug recognition skills, when she, along with Traffic Constable Paul Long, joined Cheshire Police at the Creamfields dance music festival, in Daresbury.
They spent two days over the August bank holiday weekend conducting Field Impairment Tests (FIT) on drivers leaving the festival, which attracted over 50,000 partygoers. Field Impairment Tests are a series of roadside aptitude exercises, which officers use to determine if someone is under the influence of drugs.
TC Long said: "At Creamfields we saw a wide variety of drugs seized by officers which has broadened my knowledge of drug recognition. The experience will not only enhance our own personal skills as FIT practitioners but will enable us to pass on our knowledge to other North Yorkshire Police officers during training courses."
Both officers along with 170 colleagues who are FIT trained are now available to the force to help clampdown on motorists who break the law by driving while under the influence of drugs.
