7,000 drink-drivers held in crackdown
More than 7,000 motorists have been arrested for drink-driving across the Black Country in the past three years, the latest figures reveal today.
More than 7,000 motorists have been arrested for drink-driving across the Black Country in the past three years, the latest figures reveal today.
The highest arrest count was in the Walsall police operational command unit (OCU) area, with 1,122 arrests between April 2006 and March 2009.
More than 1,000 drivers were arrested in the Smethwick OCU, which covers areas including Rowley Regis and Oldbury, while just under 1,000 motorists failed breath tests in Wolverhampton West, which includes Penn, Tettenhall, Blakenhall and All Saints.
The total number of arrests across the Black Country has fallen from 2,523 in 2006/2007 to 2,244 in 2008/2009 apart from in Walsall, when arrests last year jumped to 406 from 352 the previous year.
The figures were released by West Midlands Police following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
Pc Stephen Rogers, from the traffic unit at West Midlands Police, said today: "There is a continued drive for enforcement of initiatives to combat drink and drug driving throughout the year, with an increased concentration around summer and Christmas as this is traditionally when we see the figures increase.
"We continually reiterate the message that drink-driving costs lives and while we will deal with offenders firmly, the important message remains 'don't drink or take drugs and drive'.
"If someone is caught drink-driving or driving while under the influence of drugs, the consequences could be wide-ranging, including the loss of their driving licence, which will in turn affect their career and family life. Ultimately they could go to prison."
Last year across the region more than 20,000 drivers were stopped throughout December, with 4,155 undergoing breath tests compared to 3,420 in 2007.
Of those, 12.7 per cent tested positive, a drop on last year's figure of 12.8 per cent.
In Staffordshire during last year's festive season, 80 out of 1,832 motorists tested, or 4.4 per cent, were over the legal limit. This compares to 4.9 per cent in 2007/08.
