A JOBSEEKER SHOWED up for an interview with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) well over the legal drink drive limit, only to be promptly arrested before being disqualified from driving.

The incident happened last month as two senior GMP employees were holding interviews for an IT management position. When an external male applicant in his 50s was brought into the office at Sedgley Park, one of the interviewers engaged in the usual small talk to put the candidate at ease.

“I asked if he had any trouble in finding us, as soon as he began to speak I could smell something on his breath which I thought was stale alcohol.

“He mentioned that he did have a little trouble in finding somewhere to park, which immediately raised concerns.

“Shortly after he arrived in the small office, the smell of alcohol became overpowering.

“I decided to continue with the interview, which lasted for about an hour, but throughout the whole time I was sure that the candidate smelt strongly of drink and was considering what to do next.”

Advice

At end of the end of interview, the GMP employee made an excuse to leave the room and sought advice from a police officer on what to do next.

“I didn’t want the man returning to his vehicle, given the obvious smell of alcohol. I couldn’t live with myself if there had been a collision and someone ended up seriously hurt.”

A police traffic officer was called for. They asked the candidate if he had been drinking before attending the interview, to which the man replied no.

The officer then asked if he had been drinking the previous night. The applicant said that he had been out the night before for a meal with his wife, where they had shared a bottle of wine.

On hearing this, the officer escorted the man out of the building to a nearby patrol car and breathalysed him. The results from the breath test showed the man was over the legal drink drive limit. He was then taken to Bury Police station and tested again for his alcohol level, once the reading was confirmed, he was charged with drink driving.

The offender last week pleaded guilty to being in control of a vehicle while over the legal drink driving limit at Bury and Rochdale Magistrates’ Court.

He was disqualified from holding a driving licence for one year, to be reduced to seven months if successful in completing a drink driving awareness course within in a given time, and was also handed fines totalling £235.

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