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A 25-year-old Port Elizabeth woman was the first person to be processed at the province’s first Alcohol Evidence Centre situated in Bethelsdorp.
The Centre was opened on Tuesday with support from South African Breweries.
According to a statement from Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, the woman was caught red-handed with an open bottle of the sponsor’s beer when she dropped off two passengers at the public health facility on the same premises as the new centre.
Municipality spokesperson, Kupido Baron, said she was “waltzed into the building shortly after the completion of the official programme with “her full glass of beer and almost empty Black Label silent reminders of her ill-fated decision.”
He said she was then taken to the Bethelsdorp police station.
Meanwhile, Baron said the centre was equipped with Evidentiary Breathalyser Alcohol Testing (EBAT) machines and detain motorists suspected of driving under the influence of alcohol.
This, without the added pressure of taking blood samples to overburdened hospital emergency rooms, especially during the Covid19 pandemic.
He said SAB contributed more than R600 000 for the infrastructure which includes consultation rooms, two holding cells, furniture and medical fridges to store blood evidence as part of the company’s social responsibility programmes.
Executive Mayor Nqaba Bhanga said he was grateful for the successful development made possible by the public-private partnership with SAB as it helps to build a layer to ensure the safety and security of Nelson Mandela Bay residents.
"The centre will be used to provide the results of blood alcohol levels on the spot and to temporarily detain suspects. It is important that enforcement must start with those in power whether it is the political elite or those occupying prominent positions in society," Bhanga said.
Metro Police Commissioner Yolande Faro, who initiated the project by approaching SAB, described the launch as a proud and epoch-making moment for the law enforcement community in the fight against preserving evidence in drunk-and-driving cases.
"Although Alcohol Evidence Centres are operational in other parts of South Africa, it is the first-ever centre in the Eastern Cape.
"The facility will be operational on a twenty-four seven basis for 365 days year,” she added.
