New South Wales Consolidated Acts

ROAD TRANSPORT (SAFETY AND TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT) ACT 1999 - SECT 24B

24B Procedure for taking samples following arrest

(1) Except as provided by section 24C, a police officer may require a person who has been arrested under section 24A to provide samples of the person’s blood and urine (whether or not the person consents to the samples being taken) in accordance with the directions of a medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker.

(2) The police officer must inform any such medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker that the samples are required to be taken for the purposes of this Division.

(3) The medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker by whom or under whose directions a sample of blood is taken in accordance with this Division must:

(a) place the sample into a container, and

(b) fasten and seal the container, and

(c) mark or label the container for future identification, and

(d) give to the person from whom the sample is taken a certificate relating to the sample that contains sufficient information to enable the sample to be identified as a sample of that person’s blood.

(4) The medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker must, as soon as reasonably practicable after the sample of blood is taken, arrange for the sample to be submitted to a laboratory prescribed by the regulations for analysis by an analyst to determine whether the blood contains a drug.

(5) The person from whom the sample of blood was taken may, within 12 months after the taking of the sample, apply to the laboratory prescribed under this section for a portion of the sample to be sent, for analysis at that person’s own expense, to a medical practitioner or laboratory nominated by the person.

(6) The medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker under whose directions a sample of urine is provided in accordance with this Division must:

(a) divide the sample into 2 approximately equal portions, and

(b) place each portion into a container, and

(c) fasten and seal each container, and

(d) mark or label each container for future identification.

(7) Of the 2 sealed containers:

(a) one must be handed by the medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker to the person from whom it was taken or to some other person on behalf of that person, and

(b) the other must be handed by the practitioner, nurse or prescribed sample taker to the police officer present when the sample was taken and forwarded to a laboratory prescribed by the regulations for analysis by an analyst to determine whether the urine contains a drug.

(8) An analyst at a laboratory prescribed by the regulations to whom any blood or urine is submitted for analysis under this section may carry out an analysis of the blood or urine to determine whether it contains a drug, but only if a police officer has notified the analyst in writing that a person involved in the accident that led to the sample of blood or urine being submitted for analysis:

(a) has died within 30 days of the accident, or

(b) has died during the period beginning 30 days after the accident and ending 12 months after the accident and a medical practitioner has given advice that the person died as a result of the accident.

(9) Any duty of a medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker under this Division and any relevant provisions of the regulations may be performed by a person acting under the supervision of the practitioner, nurse or prescribed sample taker. A duty performed by any such person is taken to have been performed by the medical practitioner, registered nurse or prescribed sample taker.

(10) An analysis under this section may be carried out, and anything in connection with the analysis (including the receipt of the blood or urine to be analysed and the breaking of any seal) may be done, by a person acting under the supervision of an analyst and, in that event, is taken to have been carried out or done by the analyst.

(11) A blood or urine sample that has been provided under this section must be destroyed by or at the direction of the analyst who has custody of the sample without being analysed if, at the expiry of 13 months after the accident concerned, no police officer has made a notification relating to a death under subsection (8).