Three police officers 'face the sack' after testing positive for methamphetamine use

Three police constables have been stood down from duty and could face the sack after testing positive to amphetamines and “meth” during random drug tests.

The officers were among 200 drug tested at five suburban police stations during an early morning operation by the Internal Affairs Unit on Monday.

Their fate is in the hands of Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan, who is waiting for the results of further tests to confirm the initial findings before deciding what action to take.

“Monday’s day of action by Internal Affairs should send a sobering warning to any officer using illicit substances at any time,” Mr O’Callaghan said.

“Officers make critical decisions under duress and they must not be affected by illicit substances or alcohol.”

Drug testing for police officers was introduced in 2011 and the number caught has been low — just seven from almost 10,000 tests.

That equated to 0.07 per cent of officers who had been tested.

The illicit drugs found in their systems included cannabis, meth, ecstasy and steroids.

Six of those officers resigned during what are known as “loss of confidence” proceedings where they are required to show cause why they should not be sacked.

An officer who tested positive to steroids kept his job after claiming he inadvertently ingested the drug in an exercise supplement.

Mr O’Callaghan said the force maintained a zero tolerance policy to drugs and alcohol for the safety of not just other police, but also the wider community.

“However small the number of officers affected, we remain committed to identifying these people and taking action against them for everyone’s safety,” he said.

Since testing began, another 11 officers had been caught with a blood alcohol reading above the 0.02 limit at which they are allowed to work.

The WA Police Union supports the drug-testing program.

But the union would not comment last night on what action it believed the officers should face if the results of their initial tests were confirmed as positive.