Police target drink drivers (From Stroud News and Journal)

Police target drink drivers

POLICE in Gloucestershire have caught 45 people drink driving so far in their annual Christmas drink drive campaign.

Since the campaign started on Dec 1 some 1,023 breath tests have been conducted countywide, with 45 people testing positive.

Of those, 96 of the tests were administered at the scenes of collisions, and six of those proved positive.

A further four drug driving tests were conducted, one of which resulted in an arrest.

The drink drive campaign, being run in conjunction with Gloucestershire County Council's Road Safety Unit, forms part of Operation Aqua, which is a seasonal crackdown on alcohol related crime and disorder.

As well as the drink drive campaign, Aqua has seen extra officers on patrol in towns and cities to enforce the new Licensing Act 2003 and as a contribution to the national Alcohol Misuse Enforcement Campaign. (AMEC)

Gloucestershire's assistant chief constable, operations, Mark Polin, said:

"We have been using a large number of officers and resources in our alcohol crackdown and while we are pleased with the low levels of disorder we have encountered in towns and cities, the drink drive campaign has revealed some worrying results.

"To have caught 45 people drink driving in just over a week is very worrying indeed, especially considering we arrested only 46 people during the entire drink drive campaign last year.

"It's extremely disappointing, especially considering the high levels of publicity given to drink driving and fatal road collisions in the county recently, that the drink drive message does not seem to be getting through.

"Maybe the fact that so many motorists have been caught so far will serve as a warning to others as the party season gets into full swing."