At the end of this year the Local police of Calvià will start carrying out drug testing, in order to deter people from driving whilst under the influence of toxic substances. This was announced by Deputy Mayor for the Police, Bartolomé Bonafé y and the Chief of police, Jaume Marcó. These tests will be carried out at the same time as breathalyser tests, following any accident, as a prevention excercise to reduce traffic accidents caused by dangerous driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

The testing system which is to be used, is based upon testing a sample of the drivers saliva. For this purpose the Dräger DrugTest 5000, made up of tester kits will quickly ,efficiently and reliably detect drugs in saliva samples collected.

This way, officers can establish if the driver has consumed drugs by way of a simple 5 step test which would identify use of amphetamines, methanephetamines,opiátes, cocaíne, benzodiacepines and cannabis. The test consists of introducing a swab on the inner gums and cheeks to obtain a saliva sample.. The indicator will turn blue, subsequently it will be analysed and the result will be ready within minutes.

If the test carried out gives a positive result it will be sent for further anaysis to a laboratory for more detailed testing. The final result will be sent to the courts. The police will, in addition, put the information through the corresponding judicial route as a crime against road safety, confirming that the driver was under the influence of toxic substances. Should the driver refuse to be tested he will be charged with refusing to cooperate .

With this new drug testing system, Calvià is once more a pioneer in the Balearic community, although there are other police forces who have already adopted this system, such as; Mossos d'Esquadra and Ertzaintza as well as the Local Police from Zaragoza, Pamplona and Las Palmas.

Calvià Local Police are undertaking the appropriate training for the use and handling of the kits for drug control and are being taught the legalities of such situations. They are also working alongside the Mossos d'Esquadra who have to date got more experience in this field.