New act could introduce alcohol testing

MILITARY bosses hope new laws will give them the power to breathalyse Royal Navy personnel before they start duty.

At the moment they are not allowed to drink alcohol within ten hours of starting work, but Ryan Donovan had been drinking within this period.

Alistair Neill, who tackled Donovan after he had shot two officers, killing one of them, believes several warning signs should have been picked up.

“You can’t anticipate every area where someone might flip,” he said. “It seems he was already known to them and he had been drinking for two days.

“When you put all that together they can certainly strengthen their procedures.”

A Royal Navy spokesman said: “The new Armed Forces Act, we hope, will contain powers to test for alcohol.

“When we select people they undergo rigorous psychological training, including when they are on board.”