Drink and drug drive arrests soar
Hampshire Constabulary figures show hike in arrests, mostly in north and east Hampshire
DRINK and drug drive arrests are up 15.4 per cent on last year, according to figures from the first 11 days of Hampshire Constabulary's anti-drink/drug driving campaign.
The force has revealed that 90 people have been arrested across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since December 1 – 77 men and 13 women – compared to 78 arrests last year.
Of the 90 arrested, 65 people have been charged, 14 have been bailed pending further enquiries and 11 have been released with no further action.
The greatest number of arrests were made in the north and east of Hampshire with 28, while the Isle of Wight has the lowest number of arrests, eight, followed by nine arrests in Portsmouth.
In central Hampshire, including Fareham and Gosport, there have been 20 arrests, while 11 people have been arrested in Southampton and 14 in the New Forest, Eastleigh and Test Valley area.
Pc Mark Clarke of Hampshire Constabulary's Road said the results were “bitter-sweet” because, while police were identifying and arresting more suspected drink-drivers this year, the figures so far showed that people were not getting the ‘don't drink and drive' message.
Pc Clarke said: “Drink driving ruins lives. It kills, it maims, it's the reason relationships break down and jobs are lost. So why are people still getting behind the wheel?”
Drivers, he continued, did not have to be driving erratically for police to pull them over.
“This year we are carrying out checks on people of all ages and if you are found to be drink-driving you will be arrested, be banned from driving, face a hefty fine and you'll have a criminal record – and that's only if you don't kill somebody,” he added.
Hampshire Constabulary is asking members of the public across the two counties to text 80999 to report anyone they suspect of driving drink or being drug impaired behind the wheel.
The information will be received anonymously, and senders simply need to text the precise location where the driver was last seen, direction of travel if possible, and as many vehicle details as possible – most importantly the number plate.
Anyone witnessing a drink drive offence in progress can telephone the emergency number 999.
