Mr Roderick Downey1
1Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Winnipeg, Canada
Introduction
In December 2018, Canada enacted a new law permitting police to test a driver’s breath without any suspicion of impairment by alcohol. This study was conducted to learn from international research.
Research questions
Principal What lessons can be derived from a systematic review of the academic literature to inform the implementation of new mandatory alcohol screening (MAS) in Canada?
Auxiliary 1. What does the research literature indicate about the how MAS/Random Breath Testing (RBT) is studied?
- Are there any risks related to implementing MAS?
Design
The study was an inductive, wide-ranging systematic narrative review of international research literature surrounding random breath testing. The focus was on the implementation of MAS/RBT by police.
Findings
A staged review reduced the initial collection of 824 down to 60 papers meeting inclusion criteria. Included studies were published between 1975 and 2022 and the years covered by the cumulative data spanned the same period. By 2005, when smart phones and social media apps were becoming well established, almost 60% of the research had been published. By that same year over 87% of the data referred to across the 60 papers had already been captured.
Deterrence theory remained the primary explanation guiding RBT and was well known by researchers. Studies showed repeated misunderstandings by police about the interplay between general and specific deterrence. Among the studies, little attention was given to the potential impact of punishment avoidance on deterrence.
Synthesis focuses on four themes: Testing Volume and Duration, Cost-effectiveness, Publicity and Messaging, and Police Perceptions. Surprisingly, the study suggests that extant research practices might be a contributing factor in maladaptive police policy and practice.
Conclusion
Spanning over four decades of police RBT experience, the identified literature reveals important gaps in knowledge and research practice. Lessons learned from the study can influence future police-academic partnerships.
Biography:
Rod Downey is a serving police officer in Canada and has been examining evidenced-based policing since 2014. His primary area of interest is the space where police and academics meet.