Pubdate: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 Source: Sydney Morning Herald (Australia) Copyright: 2001 The Sydney Morning Herald Contact: GPO Box 3771, Sydney NSW 2001 Fax: 61-(0)2-9282 3492 Website: http://www.smh.com.au/ Forum: http://forums.fairfax.com.au/ Author: David Humphries, State Political Editor CHECK REVEALS PREMIER IS IN THE WRONG Four years after random drug testing of NSW police was approved by Parliament, none is taking place, despite the Premier's belief that such checks are routine. Questioned by Channel 9 last Wednesday about the suspension of a senior constable who returned a positive cannabis result after a fatal shooting, Mr Carr said: "We have random drug and alcohol testing. That is something that came out of the Police Royal Commission. It has helped to change the culture in the police service." But the police media unit confirmed yesterday that random testing was conducted for alcohol only. Testing for drugs was "targeted", a spokesman said. The Police Association's president, Mr Ian Ball, said: "There is no random drug testing and there has been none." The union supported targeted testing; "that is, in critical incidents such as police shootings, police pursuits and deaths in custody". But random testing would be a waste of resources because positive tests did not necessarily demonstrate impairment, Mr Ball said. A spokesman for the Police Minister, Mr Whelan, said last night: "As far as we're concerned, the police service has a drug and alcohol testing program. It's the only one in Australasia to have this." The absence of random drug testing was examined by the Police Integrity Commission in February last year, when its counsel assisting, Mr Peter Johnson, told a hearing: "It has been an available statutory power for some three years but it is not being undertaken." Mr Ball said only four of the 1,036 western Sydney police tested for drugs in 1997 returned positive readings, and those were for cannabis. Opposition police spokesman Mr Andrew Tink said random drug testing was among the more important recommendations in Justice Wood's 1996 royal commission report, "which the Premier continues to ignore". - --- MAP posted-by: Josh Sutcliffe