Police in Ghent, Belgium, ran into trouble on Tuesday after forcing an 11-year-old girl who had just been hit by a bicycle on her way to school to take an alcohol and drug test.
“Who the hell made this law that allows an 11-year-old child to be under the influence of alcohol on the way to school? The legislation should be a little more child-friendly and, above all, more humane. “Especially at a time when your daughter is in a state of shock after an accident,” the girl’s father angrily complained to the Flemish daily Het Laatste Nieuws, as 7Sur7 reported on Wednesday.
According to Belgian media, the young girl had to be taken to Ghent University Hospital injured and in shock on Tuesday morning after being hit by a car.
Except that her parents’ jaws would have dropped when the police asked them to subject their daughter to a breathalyzer and drug test, as police said is common practice in an accident with injuries, whether with or without signs of intoxication .
“There is actually no age limit. It is in the interest of all parties to provide clarity on this matter. And blowing is less invasive than a blood test,” Ghent police continued.
However, she recognized that, given his young age, it was “perhaps not appropriate” to subject the child to the tests and apologized to the family. An investigation has reportedly been launched to shed light on this incident.