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Drug scanner checks public

4:38pm Wednesday 12th September 2007

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Scores of pub-goers in Bicester were tested for traces of illegal drugs during a police operation aimed at tackling violent street crime.

Police used the force's new drugs itemiser - which scans people for traces of banned substances - at the Litten Tree pub.

'It gives us an indication of drug activity and where it's taking place. It is part of a wider initiative to reduce violent crime'

Det Sgt Steve Duffy

It was the first time the new technology, which detects traces of drugs from heroin to cannabis, had been used in the town.

Police officers tested 150 revellers as they arrived at the pub in Sheep Street between 10.30pm and midnight on Friday.

The pub managers barred anyone refusing to co-operate with the test from entering.

Det Sgt Steve Duffy, of Banbury CID, said two people tested positive and were searched but not found to be in possession of drugs.

The pair were then banned from entering the pub, but not arrested.

Mr Duffy said: "It went very well. We gained the full co-operation of the management and the customers.

"Everyone was very supportive and compliant.

"We swab people's hands and then that swab is placed into the equipment and it gives a reading of the level of drug residue.

"If it's above the background level then we use the equipment to give us the power to search - it gives us reasonable suspicion."

Mr Duffy explained the machine also picked up tiny traces of drugs that innocent people could get from handling contaminated bank notes.

But he said officers only searched those showing a more substantial level of drug residue.

He said: "The public were very supportive. Many people were saying they wanted to be tested.

"Bicester has no bigger problem than the rest of the country but we are never complacent.

"It gives us an indication of drug activity and where it's taking place. It is part of a wider initiative to reduce violent crime.

"We associate binge drinking and illegal substances as being one of the causes of spontaneous unprovoked street crime."

The drug itemiser was also used in Witney and Banbury two weeks ago. About 260 revellers were tested, with one person arrested on suspicion of possessing class A and C drugs. Two others also tested positive.

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alan q, cowley says...
5:39pm Wed 12 Sep 07

what a waste of police resources.

i'd rather they were out catching violent crims and thieving
sh!tes!!!

woopie do - someone has done a line. stop press, bang em up!!

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penny, hampshire says...
9:25pm Wed 12 Sep 07

what an absolute joke..
everybody and i mean everybody knows that alcohol is the major contributory factor in almost all violent acts. in 90% of all police call outs alcohol is involved, 90% of domestic violence is fueled by alcohol but we've got to stop those crazy pot heads. the state of the laws in the UK are ridiculas..protectin
g these alcohol company's which routinely kill 40,000 people a year and cause mayhem in our streets at night and blaming drugs is criminal and makes the police a laughing stock..no wonder the UK's going to the dogs, i wonder why theirs hardly any violence in the cities of the Netherlands..? its because cannabis is sold in coffee shops so people can go out have a couple of nice beers a coffee and a spliff, talk with your friends (a rarity in the UK's stupidly loud factory pubs) and walk home giggling to themselves all very pleasant and very different to what happens in the UK where cannabis is not sold in coffee shops..

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joe, US says...
10:03pm Wed 12 Sep 07

This is an another example of our civil liberties being violated. Consenting to a search can open a Pandora's box, even if you are not guilty of a crime. What if the money you had in your hands had some kind of drug residue on it?

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Ed Dunkle, East Cupcaak says...
2:04am Sun 16 Sep 07

Big Brother loves you.

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scottp, Florida, USA says...
1:38pm Mon 17 Sep 07

Good grief, what are you people, a bunch of mindless sheep?
Go have a pint somewhere else.
If I was refused entrance because I stood up for my rights, then I don't want to drink there anyway.

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Seamus Ruah, Lower Bogtrotter says...
8:58pm Wed 19 Sep 07

What a pathetic joke, seems the nazis did win the Second World War after all.

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ben, New York City says...
7:41pm Thu 20 Sep 07

What the hell?! They submitted to this crap? People: STAND UP! Only you can prevent "1984."

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msky, glasgow says...
7:52pm Thu 20 Sep 07

Seems kinda wrong to scan for drug use before you can enter a but were allowed to consume alcohol till they threw up! The police explained that it was part of a crackdown on violent street crime. But for some reason, they did nothing to stop the patrons from ingesting the drug that the pub was selling -- alcohol -- which is often found in the bloodstream of people who commit acts of violence.

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Chris, US says...
8:31pm Thu 20 Sep 07

The people who forced the Magna Carta on King John are now lining up to submit to drug tests. Might I ask exactly when you turned into a nation of ****?

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m.l., London says...
8:50pm Thu 20 Sep 07

If they ban two customers each night for not carrying drugs, it won't be long until violent crime levels drop - no one will be able to get drunk and then roll out of the pub to get in fights.

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Chris, US says...
9:20pm Thu 20 Sep 07

Why not get tested if you are not worried about failing?

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Milliner, USA says...
11:35pm Thu 20 Sep 07

Are drugs even illegal anymore? What's the point. Drugs or alcohol it's the same self-destructive act.

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XuYu, U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A! says...
6:19am Fri 21 Sep 07

"Everyone was very supportive and compliant"? You Brits have been tramped down so long you don't even know which way is up!

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Nicolas, PARIS says...
9:00am Fri 21 Sep 07

What about false positives? Does this device distinguish between over the counter opiates, such as codein, and street-bought heroin? Or between prescribed Ritalin and meth? This is a rhetorical question: it doesn't, since even lab-performed urine tests often fail on those.
The UK is becoming a scary place.

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Mike, Sweden says...
9:37am Fri 21 Sep 07

Yet another reason why I don't live in the UK anymore! As other posters have pointed out, alcohol is the main drug associated with violent crime. That people actually went along with this is really scary. Still, in a country that now has mass surveillance as a matter of course, where everyone is a suspect and guilty until proven innocent and where the government does what the criminals in the USA tell it to, what else can you expect?


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Josh, Guildford says...
10:14am Fri 21 Sep 07

It is important to crack down on large scale drug production & sale and, to a lesser extent, use. It finances a lot of terrible things both inside and beyond our borders.
However - this is not the way to do it. The "If you've got nothing to hide, what's the problem" argument is extremely short sighted and civilly irresponsible - where do you draw the privacy line if you start submitting to these tests?

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Graham, England says...
2:15pm Fri 21 Sep 07

If I ever find myself in that area, I will not be visiting that pub. Stopping people going about their legal business, and barring them from doing something they're legally entitled to do if they don't comply to be searched is a terrible abuse of power and people's rights. I don't take drugs but I wouldn't submit to such a search, the concept offends me to the core.

The pub landlord is a disgrace, and the police themselves are too. Those policemen would have done better to actually do some real policework, catch some real criminals.

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jason, seattle, wa, USA says...
3:36pm Fri 21 Sep 07

"now that we've determined you're not a dirty smelly pot-head, you may resume your usual schedule of binge drinking. carry on."

what worries me is that an incidental- or false-positive is still grounds for a search. at least in amerikkka, they still need probable cause for that, or to test you in the first place.

enjoy your victory gin.

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Trippy UK, Whoknows2day says...
7:21pm Fri 21 Sep 07

I support what the police are doing on this matter, Im led to believe that this device distinguishes between chemicals. Nearly all bank notes have a trace of substance on them and the police allow for a certail level. However, At least we know where there testing rather than being sneaky and trying to entrap public, We all know that it is a recreational usage of substances that are used in premises like this BUT what we are doing is illegal and we must remember this when doing so to protect ourselves and friends

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Jenkins, Nashville, US says...
9:08pm Fri 21 Sep 07

Let me get this straight. To be admitted into an establishment that sells a particular type of drug, you have to show that you didn't take another particular drug? Insane.

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craig, Canada says...
6:31am Sat 22 Sep 07

"The public were very supportive. Many people were saying they wanted to be tested"

I love quotes like this, with no specific people mentioned. What a load of crap. If this is true, the UK is already doomed.

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Goober, London says...
4:04pm Mon 24 Sep 07

Lets set something similar up at the houses of parliment and the entrance to police stations. See how many MP's or policeman are "supportive" and "want to be tested"

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Srah, says...
5:57am Tue 25 Sep 07

This is absolute crap! Nevermind the child molesters and murders...someone just smoked a joint!!!!

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Terry chandler, says...
4:21pm Sun 30 Sep 07

baaaaaaaa!

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Pete, says...
10:28pm Sun 30 Sep 07

I am relieved people have commented as they have. These actions are invasive and support a hypocritical law.

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Joshua, Raleigh, NC USA says...
4:46pm Thu 4 Oct 07

Wow, using the police to protect the bar's business interests. The Bar sells drugs, and doesn't want any copmpetition, So the get the police to help make sure there is no competition.

Just so sad to see that so many people went along with it.

Report this post »

bozomojo, Germany says...
11:47pm Mon 8 Oct 07

YOu start etting anyone get tested whether have drugs or not,you start letting them in and soont hey test for all tings and you have no freedom. It is clearly violation and if you allow or condone this policestate of sneaking slowly in our lives then your afool tho think it wont effect you later. This all m ust be stopped now. Why are not the white house and govt drug tested. they have thier fingers on the buttons. seems to me they are more to be accounted for. The police are getting out of hand. This excuse they give is im sure bogus too.makes me sick how many people passively let the world go to hell in a hitler hat.

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Alex, Oxford says...
7:51am Sat 13 Oct 07

This is a disgusting abuse of police power and resources. I don't pay my police tax to live in a police state. They should be out there catching real criminals, not eroding yet more of our civil liberties.

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William, Oxford says...
4:18pm Sat 13 Oct 07

XuYu wrote:
"Everyone was very supportive and compliant"? You Brits have been tramped down so long you don't even know which way is up!
XuYu...............

Does the U.S Patriot act mean anything to you???

Your people stood by as the mass muderer George W and his co-consprirators passed the patriot act which "tramped" as you put it, all over you rights more than Brits have ever endured.


Go and learn about whats going on in your own country before commenting on the politics of the U.K.

Idiot.

Report this post »

Terry Chandler, naziland says...
3:10am Tue 26 Feb 08

The English are a flock of sheep.

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alan page, says...
3:26am Tue 26 Feb 08

Hey that DJ Grooverider got banged up for 4 years in Dubai for a microscopic trace of skunk!!

Way to go!! If you choose to break the law you have forfeited all rights to appeal to it.

Tough Titty druggies!!

Report this post »

Js, Oxford says...
5:22pm Thu 20 Mar 08

What the hell! This is insane , this is turning into a one messed country/world, we loose our freedoms to the police on subjects which have little impact on society as a whole. As other people have said, the police could use their resources much more effectly... Soon we'll be being searched before we get on a train or bus!

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Comments are closed on this article.

Managers at the Litten Tree in Bicester welcomed the initiative and everyone entering the pub was tested Managers at the Litten Tree in Bicester welcomed the initiative and everyone entering the pub was tested

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