Kent hosts battle against drug use

by John Harrington Licensees in Kent are preparing to use the latest technology in their battle against drugs. From the end of this month, landlords in selected pubs in Sevenoaks, Tonbridge and Tun-bridge Wells will start using a £32,000 detecting machine to screen customers and objects for tiny traces of illegal substances. The Ion Track Itemiser3, which can detect drugs in less than 10 seconds, is being launched in the area in a partnership arrangement between local police and pubwatch. Customers refusing to be tested as they go into a pub will not be let in. Barry Dennis, chairman of the Sevenoaks pubwatch and landlord of the Anchor pub in the town, welcomed the scheme as a useful tool in the fight against drugs. "Drugs are prevalent everywhere now, and we want to send a message to drug users in Sevenoaks ­ don't come here because you won't get in," he said. Dale Hathaway, manager of Bar Med, said a man was recently found to be unwell in the bar after taking amphetamines elsewhere in the town. He said: "If I can have a screening machine that deals with drug users ­ who I don't want in my bar ­ then this is something I welcome." He denied the machine may put off law-abiding customers. "The people who want to go out in a safe environment will fully understand why we need the scheme," he added. Sergeant Howard Chandler, of the Sevenoaks drugs liaison unit, is convinced the machine will deter drug users from going into pubs. He said: "It's a great way for us to use up-to-date technology in the fight against drugs ­ before all we had was sniffer dogs. "I would like to think that at some point licensees would like to buy their own machines." The scheme will initially be free to licensees, but Chandler said that in the long term tenants may want to buy £25 swab kits rather than a machine. Swab samples can then be taken to police for testing. A brewery has shown an interest in buying a machine and rotating it around its branches, he added. How it works Testing is carried out by rubbing a swab against clothes or furniture. The swab is then tested in the machine which displays a reading. It can identify the type and potency of the substance, allowing licensees to distinguish between people who have taken drugs recently and those who have been accidently contaminated.