119 Arrested In First Fortnight Of Anti-Drink Driving Campaign

6:02am 19th June 2014

Thames Valley Police have arrested 119 people on suspicion of drink-driving in the first half of their summer anti-drink drive campaign.

This coincides with the World Cup kicking off and our joint campaign ‘Watch your game’ which runs throughout the duration of the tournament reminding people of the dangers of drink driving; both the morning after as well as the night before.

Of those 119 arrested. 100 were men (an 11 percent decrease on last year) and 19 were women (a 24 percent decrease on last year). The average age of those arrested was 37 years-old.

75 of the 119 arrested between the 1st and 15th of June, have been charged, 31 bailed and 13 released with no further action.

This year’s arrests show a 13 percent decrease on the 136 arrests made during the same period in 2013.

The campaign sees police targeting individuals they suspect of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, both on the way home from nights out and the morning after a heavy night.

Of the arrests, 43 have been made in Buckinghamshire, 32 in Oxfordshire and 44 in Berkshire.

Superintendent Lucy Hutson, head of roads policing for Thames Valley and Hampshire said:

“Is it worth the risk? The answer is simple, no it isn’t.

After just four pints of lager, you may not be safe to drive for up to 13 hours, so whether you are drinking in the afternoon at a summer barbeque, drinking while you watch a World Cup football game or going out for a few drinks in the evening, make sure you are safe to drive. Just because you haven’t had a drink for a few hours, it doesn’t mean all the alcohol has left your system and you can drive, you are still likely to be over the limit.

Extra patrols will be out over the next few months carrying out a number of breath tests. If you are caught drink driving you could face a criminal conviction, possible prison term, driving ban, and could even lose your job. Is it worth the risk?”

Across the Thames Valley and Hampshire there were 223 during the first two weeks of June.

Our ‘Is it worth the risk?’ campaign will be running on Twitter and Facebook to keep you updated, so follow us @ThamesVP #IsItWorthTheRisk #WatchYourGame or find us on Facebook."