A man has been arrested for possession of illegal drugs after he attempted to run away after a car was stopped by police in Patchway.
The officers involved were working on Operation Tonic, Avon and Somerset Police’s Christmas anti-drink/drug driving campaign that was launched recently at Aztec West.
Later, at the police station, the man was found to be in possession of cannabis, and records showed he was wanted for making threats to kill and was also linked to five burglaries.
More than a hundred people are facing a licence-free New Year after being arrested for drink or drugs driving in Avon and Somerset in the run-up to Christmas.
Over the weekend traffic officers arrested 37 people, taking the total to 136 since the force’s Operation Tonic campaign began on Thursday 1st December.
The total number of vehicles stopped stands at 7,813 and the number of breath tests given is 1138.
Fourteen text messages have been received giving information about suspected drink or drug drivers.
Police say they will be maintaining their efforts as Christmas approaches, carrying out random stop checks of vehicles and targeting known hotspots at peak times to emphasis the ‘don’t drink/drugs drive’ message.
They are reminding people to use mobile phone texting to help them catch drink and drug drivers. They are asked to text the word drunk to 81819 and send in information about someone who has got behind the wheel under the influence. The messages arrive in the police control room and are treated in the same way as an emergency 999 call.
Chief Inspector Yannis Georgiou of Avon and Somerset’s Operations and Roads Policing Unit said:
“The figures show that we are determined to send out a very strong message that drink or drug drivers will be stopped and arrested and banned from the roads. Drivers must realise that there is no safe drinking limit – other than not drinking at all.”
Tonic is part of the force’s Operation Relentless campaign – reducing death, serious injury and crime on the roads of Avon and Somerset. Drink/drugs driving is one of the so-called ‘fatal four’ offences, together with speeding, not wearing a seat belt and using a mobile phone while driving, that are know major causes of collisions.
Police have warned that:
- Refusal to provide a breath specimen could lead to a six month prison sentence, a fine of up to £5,000 and a 12 month ban from driving.
- Drink drivers face up to six months in prison, a fine of up to £5,000 and a ban of at least 12 months.
Operation Tonic forms part of the police’s Have the Christmas You Deserve campaign, which will be running throughout December. The campaign incorporates a range of activities to tackle issues related to the festive period, such as keeping your Christmas gifts safe and helping people to stay safe over the party season.
