POLICE officers throughout the country are currently training in the use of the new breathalyser devices and will be out on the nation’s roads with them ’soon’, said Assist ant Commissioner of Police (Mobile) Wayne Richards.

Speaking in a telephone interview yesterday, Richards said there was no delay in implementation of the breathalyser, but noted police were getting resources together.

He added that it was a few days ago that they were informed by Transport Minister Colm Imbert of the type of device to be used.

On Monday, President George Maxwell Richards proclaimed the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Amendment Act, which has allowed for the use of the breathalyser.

Yesterday, Richards (ACP) said they never had those devices before and now they were aware of them, they were training officers. He added that not every single police officer will be trained in the devices, but they are training ’as many as possible’ throughout the country.

He said they were now in position to do final training and the National Security Ministry had to acquire the devices to distribute throughout all nine divisions.

’We are very anxious to have those devices in our hands throughout the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,’ he said.

Kirk Waithe, chairman of safe driving lobby group, Arrive Alive, yesterday said law enforcement has been anxiously awaiting this law and access to this technology for a long time, and predicted they will be on the roads ’sooner than later’.

He noted, however, that success can only be realised with effective and sustainable implementation.

’That means that Government has to move with great efficiency to get police the tools and the training,’ he said.

He said Government must also embark on an aggressive public education campaign, one as well-done as the campaign on the new property tax system.

Waithe pointed out that the breathalyser represented only one aspect of road safety and Government should move ’post haste’ to ’amend the seatbelt law making it a ticketable offence applicable everywhere a seatbelt is available; child restraint laws to protect our children; and pass legislation to implement the radar gun to measure speed’.

The Trinidad and Tobago Chamber of Industry and Commerce said in a release this week that ’while the breathalyser will not halt the road carnage, it will certainly help to address one of the problems plaguing our society’.

’It is our hope that implementation of the legislation will be given priority since enforcement is the key to its success together with the necessary police presence on the roads,’ the chamber said.