Beware - this is not uncommon. My mother was one of 3 pensioners lately killed by methadone patients who were regularly pulled up for drug driving, but who the law could not charge or stop. Because they may not drug test unhospitalised drivers for the purpose of related charges without
1) permission from commander
2) the culprits consent - and they are not that dumb to self incriminate.
This is a daytime risk to be very aware of. Drug drivers tend to momentary lapses, causing our high centreline crossing rate, so aren't so obvious as the weaving drink driver.
IMO the launch of an internal investigation of the Hawera constable is scape-goating which the Police Assn should rail against. The Govt and Annette King have long fudged on this issue - leaving us as the only first world country without legislation to empower police.
Drug addict freed to drive fatal crash car
By GLENN McLEAN glenn.mclean@tnl.co.nz - Taranaki Daily News | Saturday, 28 February 2009
Crash scene: Emergency workers survey the damage of the crash that killed pensioner Norman Luscombe last year.
Police have launched an internal investigation after a Hawera constable bailed a drug-affected man who later killed a pensioner in a head-on smash.
Drug addict Peter Richard Drinnan was given bail even though he told a policeman he was under the influence of drugs.
Drinnan, 39, is due to be sentenced in the High Court at New Plymouth on Tuesday for the manslaughter of 84-year-old Norman Philip Luscombe.
Mr Luscombe died in February, 2008, several days after his car was struck by Drinnan, who had crossed the centre line between Normanby and Eltham in his panic to get to New Plymouth for his daily dose of methadone.
Police had been looking for Drinnan earlier on the day of the accident following a burglary complaint. They took his car keys out of the ignition after finding his empty car outside a Hawera property. Hours later they found him trying to hotwire his car and arrested him.
Eight minutes after the arrest he was video interviewed by Constable Geoffrey Hale who asked Drinnan if he was "going to be awake" for an interview. According to a transcript of the interview, Mr Hale told Drinnan: "We need to be able to hear you."
During the interview Drinnan tells the constable that he needs to get to New Plymouth by 5pm to get his dose of methadone because he had been turned away from a chemist in Hawera earlier that day.
Security camera footage shows Drinnan inside the pharmacy knocking over items on display.
An extract from Mr Hale's job sheet, obtained by the Taranaki Daily News, showed Drinnan answered yes when Mr Hale asked if he was under the influence of drugs.
The job sheet then stated Drinnan was bailed at 3.30pm.
Less than an hour later Drinnan was involved in a minor car crash on the Normanby overbridge, but he continued to drive on.
Several kilometres later, and after further reports of erratic driving, he crossed the centre line and slammed into Mr Luscombe's car.
Blood tests taken from Drinnan found he was under the influence of cannabis, methadone and the prescription drug Lorazepam, which he had stolen from his brother.
The major side-effect associated with the prescription drug Lorazepam is drowsiness, with users told not to drive after taking the medication.
Drinnan's lawyer, Julian Hannam, of New Plymouth, said it was obvious looking at the police video interview that his client was heavily under the influence of drugs.
"He was mumbling and he was aggressive. He was clearly on something," he said.
"There is a certain amount of consternation now when you look back on what occurred that day. If a guy was p....d and they knew he had access to a car, would they let him go?"
The case has similarities to the actions of police in 2005 when they failed to stop drunk driver Raymond Hansen driving after his car was found following a high-speed chase. Hansen managed to elude police, who were watching his car, and drive off, later killing three people on the Normanby overbridge.
An investigation in 2006 found the errors of judgment displayed by Hawera police officers did not amount to misconduct or neglect of duty.
"The difference to Hansen is that they had him (Drinnan)," Mr Hannam said. "They had this guy and let him go. So actually, this is worse. The amount of bad driving leading up to this accident, he is very lucky he didn't kill more people."
Mr Hannam plans to make a submission to the High Court on Tuesday questioning police actions leading up to Drinnan's release.
"If the constable had detained the prisoner overnight he would not have been affected by any drugs at the time he drove his motor vehicle," the submission states.
Inspector Frank Grant, of Hawera, confirmed yesterday that Drinnan had been detained and released by police on the day he killed Mr Luscombe.
Mr Grant then directed any further questions to Central District communications manager Kim Perks. "There is an internal investigation ongoing into the matter and it would be inappropriate for us to comment until that investigation is complete," she said.
A Luscombe family spokeswoman said they did not wish to comment until after sentencing. She said the family was aware of the circumstances leading up to Mr Luscombe's death and that Drinnan was in police custody shortly before the crash.
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Originally Posted by candor
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