More than 230 drivers were arrested in Devon and Cornwall during December as part of a police crackdown on drink and drug driving. The Christmas Operation Limit campaign resulted in 43 more arrests than the same period last year, a 24% increase.
Police reported that 144 people were arrested on suspicion of drink driving, while 84 were arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs. Five individuals failed to provide a sample, and some were arrested on suspicion of multiple offences.
The youngest person arrested for drink driving was 17, and the oldest was 72. Those suspected of drug driving were swabbed, and those with positive results were taken into custody for blood tests.
Supt Ryan Doyle of the specialist operations department said those arrested were 'not necessarily the usual suspects', adding that too many 'otherwise law-abiding citizens' failed to consider the 'untold devastation' that drink and drug driving can cause. He urged people planning a night out to 'think about how they are getting home'.
Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, said: 'There is absolutely no excuse for driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. It is a selfish act that needlessly endangers the lives of innocent people.'
