ESSEX Police is urging the public to not drink and drive as part of a month-long campaign.
The force has delivered an important message pleading for motorists to not drink and drive after hundreds of people were stopped in December last year.
The countywide crackdown is part of the national road safety campaign 'Drink Driving. Together We Can Stop It',
It has now been revealed that 370 drivers were arrested over the last six weeks of 2022.
Of these 163 individuals were arrested on the suspicion of drink driving, 158 on the suspicion of drug driving, and 49 people were arrested for failing to provide a specimen when stopped by the police.
Across Colchester and the county, it is advised that members of the public "should help prevent, persuade, and call the police" when dealing with someone wanting to drive under the influence.
The head of Essex Police’s Road Unit Adam Pipe believes this campaign is extremely important.
He said: “We’re appealing to the public’s sense of shared responsibility and asking them to lend their support to our campaign which aims to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
“We’re doing everything we can to tackle drink driving but recognise that there’s more to do."
Adam will lead seven forces for this campaign, and Essex Police will be joined by officers in Kent, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.
He said: “This year, we’re working with other forces across the East region in a partnership approach to tackle the issue head-on.
The collaboration means we’ll be focussed on intelligence-led policing to shape our response by directing our patrols to identified “hotspots” and targeting and catching offenders, ensuring the safety of all road users.
"Those drivers who think they can evade arrest by travelling outside of Essex, won’t escape notice.
"We’ll link in with any of our partner forces to ensure drink or drug drivers face the consequence of their actions.”
Inspector Tim Swain is a member of Essex Police's Roads Policing Unit and he leads the county's enforcement activities.
He wants "drink drivers" to be "aware of the consequences" as its a "risk" every time someone under the influence gets behind a steering wheel.
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