Serving police officer caught drink-driving while off duty

A Norfolk police officer who was caught drink-driving has been banned from the roads and will be subject to misconduct proceedings.Tamsin Raines, 51, of Lynn, was a serving Norfolk police officer at the time of the offence on June 20 – although she has since retired.She was pulled over by uniformed officers during a routine traffic stop in Wereham while off duty in her personal car.

Raines was arrested after failing a roadside breath test and taken to Lynn’s Police Investigation Centre where she provided a sample of blood for analysis.She had 119mg of alcohol per 100ml in her blood, above the legal limit which is 80mg per 100ml of blood.Raines appeared at Great Yarmouth Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where she admitted driving above the specified alcohol limit. She was disqualified from driving for 14 months, fined £120 and ordered to pay costs of £85 and a victim surcharge of £48.As a result of the incident, Raines was subject to gross misconduct proceedings but retired from the force on September 2. She will be dealt with as a former officer under Police Conduct Regulations now that the court case has been finalised.Deputy Chief Constable Simon Megicks said: “When people commit a drink-driving offence they are putting other people at risk, as well as themselves.“The public have the right to expect the police service will not tolerate its officers committing criminal acts.“Where such conduct is found we will take action and misconduct proceedings will continue to take place, even though the officer has since retired.”