Do those breathalysers work?

POLICE have dismissed suggestions that breathalyser equipment being used by traffic police is faulty.

Several drivers have told the Cyprus Mail that they have been tested when clearly over the limit but came through the alcotest with a clean reading.

One man said: “I remember one night drinking more than half a bottle of wine and two small bottles of beer. When I was pulled over, I breathed in air through my mouth and then exhaled into the breathalyser. The test then showed that I was below the legal limit and they let me go.

“However, looking at how many police officers are on the roads nowadays, I am convinced that it is stupid to drink and drive.”

Another driver told of his shock at being found over the legal limit after a night of heavy drinking in Ayia Napa.

“I was flagged down by police on the Ayia Napa-Protaras road. I knew that I was in trouble because I had consumed a large amount of alcohol. I remember thinking about whether I would lose my licence or not when I blew into the breathalyzer. But to my astonishment, the policeman told me I was just over the limit and that next time I should have one beer less. He then sent me on my way. Looking back on it, I know I was stupid to drink and drive and I have not done it since.”

Police Spokesman Demetris Demetriou, however, told the Cyprus Mail that the breathalysers used on the island were working perfectly. “I have not heard any complaints either by officers or drivers that the breathalysers are not working properly. We haven’t changed the equipment lately and as far as I am concerned they are working fine. In fact, only recently we arrested 11 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol so the breathalysers must be working properly.”

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.