‘If you suspect drink or drug - driving, call police’
Police have urged public to let them know if they suspect driver
POLICE have urged members of the public to help them track down drunk or drug-impaired drivers.
Officers want people to take a note of suspects’ registration plates and “direction of travel” and to contact the force to pass the information to police.
The force issued the message when it launched its annual monthlong Christmas campaign. It said suspects would be stopped and tested for alcohol or drugs across the city and county at all times of the day – early in the morning, at lunchtime or during the evening.
Since 2015, officers have been carrying drug testing kits which enable them to identify motorists who are under the influence of substances such as cannabis or cocaine.
Chief Inspector Tom Thompson, who is heading up the campaign across Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, said: “Driving while impaired, whether through drink or drugs, devastates lives.
“Sadly, each year drink and drugs are a contributory factor in death and serious injury on the UK’s roads.
“Improved detection methods and a change in the law, introduced three years ago, have seen a rise on the number of drug-drive arrests.
“Drivers should be aware we patrol 24 hours a day, seven days a week to challenge drink/drug-drivers and bring them before the courts.”
In December 2017, officers made 78 drink-driving arrests and 21 for drug-driving. About a third of the offenders were 25 or under.
Thirty-five of the arrests followed a crash.
Police advise drivers to plan ahead by leaving the car at home, sharing a taxi or taking public transport or designating someone who is fit to drive.