New alcohol test strips target illegal and underage drinkers

Bury police are using alcohol testing strips to check whether people are disguising alcohol in soft drinks bottles and cans, when they are too young to consume alcohol, or are drinking in a restricted zone.

The new kit is expected to make it possible for officers to definitively assess whether a drink contains alcohol, and not have to rely – as in the past – on either sniffing or sampling the drink in question. The new testing strips are expected to make it easier and quicker for officers to identify illegal drinkers, confiscate the alcoholic drinks and thereby decrease the risk of anti-social behaviour as a result of drinking alcohol occurring in the area.

PC Helen Tildesley, Licensing Officer for Bury police said: “This new testing kit promises to be a real help in our fight to stop illegal drinking and the anti-social behaviour that can be the result of it. Now there is no need to get into arguments with illegal drinkers over whether there is alcohol in the soft drinks can or bottle that they are drinking from. A quick test gives an indisputable result, and the officer can then take the necessary action.”