I refer to the article entitled ‘Breathalyser kits not trusted by the police’ (January 22).

The police have received no reports on the allegations contained in the article from any section where the equipment was procured. The equipment is in use with a considerable number of police forces abroad and, apart from being easy to use, it is imperative to note that it has passed and carries full approval of an evidential breathalyser.

This was confirmed after passing strict testing by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration within the US Department of Transportation. It is ISO 9001-2000 compliant.

This is an upgrade to the older type of equipment which was used in the past.

There were already three sessions of training on the equipment last year. Regarding the crackdown on New Year’s Eve, it should be noted that checks are made by the police only if drivers appear to have abused of drinking and are seen driving.

If there were more instancesof such abuses these wouldhave been checked along with other suspects.

Apart from the four police forces in countries mentioned in the article, the equipment is used by the police in Argentina, Australia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Estonia and Lithuania, apart from other countries.