Drink Drivers Aren’t Getting Message

in Featured Motorways by AKT — May 15, 2011 at 9:43 am | 0 comments

Drink drivers still aren’t getting the message especially repeat offenders. Maybe they never will.

At one Auckland checkpoint last night, six drivers were over the limit, two blew over 1000mgms (the limit is 400), and all had previous EBA convictions.

Operation Unite – the fourth time New Zealand and Australian police jurisdictions have worked on simultaneous alcohol harm reduction campaigns – finished today. It ran between 6pm on Friday and 6am yesterday and 6pm Saturday to 6am today.

Last night 1036 officers across New Zealand worked on the operation accompanied by 113 people from partner agencies including District Licensing Agencies, Public Health, ALAC, Maori Wardens and Community Patrols.

In addition to normal Saturday night policing patrols, additional focus was put on checking hotel and licensed premises, road policing checkpoint operations and controlled purchase operations where young volunteers are sent, under supervision, to see if they can buy alcohol at places like bottle stores, supermarkets at other licensed premises.

Provisional national results from last night show:
• 47 assaults were reported – compared with 17 on Friday night
• 289 arrests were made – 49 more than Friday night
• 165 alcohol intervention packs where given to people to encourage them to seek further help – 21 more than on Friday
• 2900 breath tests were given by mobile police patrols
• 27,560 drivers were breath tested at checkpoint operations
• 305 drivers returned a positive breath test – up from 162 on Friday night
• 37 drivers are awaiting the results of blood samples – nine more than on Friday night
• 182 other offences were disclosed at checkpoint operations
• 872 checks were made on hotels and bars
• 49 breaches of the Sale of Liquor Act were detected – seven less than the previous night
• 43 people were arrested for breaches of a liquor ban – eight less than Friday night
• 342 warnings were given for breaches of the liquor ban – 164 more than Friday night
• 19 Liquor Infringement Notices were issued
• 33 warnings were given for Liquor Infringement Notices
• 42 on license premises were visited as part of controlled purchase operations
• 59 off license premises such as bottle stores were visited as part of the CPOs.
• 24 outlets sold alcohol to the volunteers as part of the CPO and will face further action.