Senior PSNI officer suspended following Christmas drink-driving charge

The 56-year-old female was arrested following a road traffic collision in Lisburn on Saturday afternoon.

She is believed to be the former temporary head of Professional Standards within the PSNI, Chief Superintendent Patricia Foy.

After failing a breath test she was charged with two related offences and is due to appear at Lisburn Magistrates’ Court next month.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: “Following a road traffic collision in the Lisburn area on 24 December, police have charged a 56-year-old woman with a number of motoring offences including driving with excess alcohol and driving without due care and attention.”

In a separate statement, the PSNI said: “The 56-year-old woman was a serving officer and is currently suspended.”

Ms Foy has served as the chair of the PSNI’s LGBT Network.

In June 2018 she was awarded the Julie Barnes-Frank Award for outstanding contribution to LGBT policing, which was presented at the National LGBT Police conference in Scotland.

The PSNI launched its 2022 Christmas anti drink-driving campaign on December 1 and have since reported a rise in the number of people arrested on suspicion of driving under influence of drink or drugs.

The key message of this year’s campaign was urging motorists to “pause for a second” and think about the potential damage they could cause.

At the launch, the PSNI said: “During last year’s campaign we carried out 6,999 roadside breath tests and arrested 295 people for drink/drug driving related offences.”

According to preliminary figures released last week, police arrested 176 people on suspicion of drink or drug driving between December 1 and 8, a total of 12 more than during the same period last year.

Commenting on the figures, Superintendent Gary Busch said, “When we launched this year’s operation just over two weeks ago, drivers were warned not to take any risks by drinking or taking drugs and driving.

“Unfortunately, 176 people ignored our warning. They now find themselves facing the prospect of starting the New Year with a court appearance and losing their driving license, which may have a huge impact on their life and that of their family.”