Don’t make our officers be your unwanted Christmas guest: ACPO launches national anti-drink and drug driving campaign

Last year’s December campaign resulted in 191,040 people being tested, with 6550 people failing to pass the breath test. This was a marked increase in testing, with a marked decrease in the failure rate – a very welcome development.

This year, forces around the country will once again be focusing on driving under the influence of drink or drugs, with enforcement activity in every part of the country, along with local advertising campaigns, social media, and, in some forces, the naming and shaming of drivers whom the CPS have decided to charge.

National Policing Lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, said:

“We are moving in the right direction when it comes to people not taking the risk of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, but there is always more to be done.

“Nowhere is this clearer than in the case of Harrison King, a young drink-driver who has worked with Staffordshire Police to make his story the centre of their local campaign – a campaign I am pleased to endorse as our national flagship for this winter’s national focus month.

“Harrison risked his own life and those of others by driving while heavily under the influence, resulting in a major collision where his car crashed into a house before being impaled on railings. This left him badly injured. He was convicted of drink-driving, banned from driving, fined and given a community service order.

“But Harrison has decided to use the second chance he has so fortunately been given to send a message to others – don’t take the risk, don’t be a statistic.

“I applaud Harrison’s humility and his dedication to ending the scourge of drink-driving.

“Our officers across the country do not want to be the unwanted guest at Christmas. They do not want to knock on anyone’s door to tell bad news about a loved one who has been killed or injured by an intoxicated driver. They do not want to be the people who have to inform your family that you have been arrested for driving under the influence and have caused harm to yourself or others.

“There is an easy way to make sure that the holiday period is a safe and happy one for all concerned: enjoy yourself, celebrate, enjoy the company of family and friends but if you drink – do not drive. It is not worth the risk.

“Officers are on heightened alert all year round but especially at this time of year – they will spot you, they will catch you and you will face the consequences, whether you drive while intoxicated at the time you have been indulging or the morning after, because you may still be unfit to drive.

“If you suspect someone is driving while unfit to do so, please report it immediately to your local police on 101 (or 999 if they are posing imminent danger) or phone it through anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

“This is not a case of drink-drive at your own risk – drink or drug-drive and you risk everything for yourself and those around you.”

ENDS

1. The national anti-drink and drug driving campaign, coordinated by ACPO, will run from December 1, 2014 to January 1, 2015 
2. Harrison King’s story will be told via a video on the Staffordshire Police YouTube channel: http://goo.gl/SiLc4D . This will go live on December 1. For further information, please contact Staffordshire Police press office on 01785 232072
3. CC Suzette Davenport will, unfortunately, be unavailable for interview for the early part of the Christmas campaign.
4. National results for the December 2013 campaign are viewable here: http://www.acpo.police.uk/documents/uniformed/2013/ACPODrinkDriveFiguresDec%202013.pdf . Unfortunately we can offer no further breakdown of these figures.
5. ACPO is also pleased to support road safety campaigns by other stakeholders including THINK!, Brake and Crimestoppers 
6. Forces around the country will be doing a mixture of enforcement activity and other engagement. We do not have a full list of activity around the country, but examples include:
   1. Lancashire Constabulary, who are putting on display two crashed cars in Preston, which were being driven by two young men who died after crashing their vehicles while driving under the influence
   2. Sussex Police, who are highlighting the dangers of drug-driving by releasing police footage of a motorist failing a field impairment test while under the influence of ketamine (http://goo.gl/xSDSi5)
   3. West Midlands Police, who are highlighting the use of cannabis testing kits being used in custody for those brought in on suspicion of drink/drug driving.
   4. Cleveland and Durham constabularies, who share a traffic division, are doing a joint campaign, which had a set-piece event on November 28 at University Hospital of North Tees, where the sister of a woman who was killed by a drink-driver in a 100mph collision will be discussing the topic along with a consultant from the hospital, which is the first port of call for road traffic collisions in the area. 
   5. South Yorkshire Police are running a broader alcohol harm reduction campaign over December, examining the four themes of drink-driving, sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse.