MP calls for
use of drug test machine
A senior Tory MP has called for all pubs and clubs in her Maidenhead constituency to use a machine that tests punters for drugs on entry.
Former Conservative Party chairman Theresa May said the Ion Track Itemiser machines, which have been deployed at venues around Staffordshire over the past year, have 'helped enormously in the battle against drugs.
The machine can detect traces of all Class A, B and C drugs on a person and identify parts of a venue where drugs are used. A swab can be wiped onto clothing or a surface and the machine can take a reading within seconds.
May said: 'By regularly testing people entering certain premises, police in Leek have managed to ensure that pubs and clubs are drug-free.
She added: 'I have spoken to the chief superintendent and to a recent meeting of pubwatch and asked them to introduce these machines.
Lee Page, from Smokey Joe's club in Maidenhead, said: 'I don't think you are ever going to stop people taking drugs, but if you can stop them bringing drugs into your premises, that's good.
