Drug-driving point made after Halloween stop leads to arrest

“Drug-driving is no laughing matter and will always be taken seriously by our police force.”

That’s the message from officers after a van with this movie quote on the back of it was pulled over on Halloween.

Response officers were out on patrol when they noticed the Joker-themed bumper sticker in Queens Drive, Nottingham.

A check of the van on the police system gave officers reason to believe it could be involved in criminal activity, so they pulled it over.

This took place around 6pm on Thursday (31 October), with the team noticing the smell of cannabis as they approached the vehicle.

Suspecting the driver could be under the influence, they were made to conduct a drugs wipe test at the roadside.

When it returned a positive reading for traces of cannabis and cocaine, the motorist was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

The suspect – a 29-year-old man – was additionally arrested for driving without the correct insurance.

Sergeant Jon Stone, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“As you might expect, the distinctive design on the back of this van caught our officers’ attention while they were out on patrol.

“After running the vehicle’s details through their on-board system, they made the decision to pull it over, and then noticed the smell of cannabis.

“Sure enough, a roadside drugs wipe suggested that the driver had traces of drugs in his system, so he was arrested on suspicion of drug-driving.

“It is a very serious offence for anyone to get behind the wheel of a vehicle while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“This is for the very simple reason that it puts both that motorist and other road users, as well as everyone else in the vicinity, in danger.”