Drink-drug drive crackdown not over for Cambridgeshire Police after rise in arrests
The month-long campaign also saw the number of calls more than double
Cambridgeshire Police are telling us more work to catch night time drink and drug drivers must be done.
It comes after police figures found more than 90 arrests were made during last month's crackdown on drink and drug driving in the county.
Calls to the force's dedicated hotline also more than doubled during the campaign compared to the month before.
PC Nick Southern is Cambridgeshire Police's casualty reduction officer.
He tells us despite a rise in those getting caught, there is still an area to improve:
"Certainly in the evening when you've got people in pubs, restaurants or house parties, I think that's still something for us to work on," he said.
"I think we'll get to a point it (number of arrests and charges) will keep increasing until our message is as strong as it's ever been and that is 'if I'm going to go out and drink-drug drive, I'm probably going to get caught'.
"You can bet that number (drug drivers charged) will increase as we get blood results back, and to think each one of those could have gone on to kill someone, I think it's really encouraging we are catching more people."
Figures from Cambridgeshire Police found last month, 91 suspected drink and drug drivers were arrested compared to 83 in December 2022.
At least 48 of those people have been charged and so far, and 7 have lost their licences; calls to the suspected drink drug driver report hotline reached 98 in 2023.
Officers and Specials also carried out morning-after roadside checks, stopping hundreds of drivers, including 336 in one day.
Mr Southern believes the issue won't be solved straight away:
"Tonight, tomorrow, the night after there will be somebody drink driving; this doesn't stop because Christmas and New Year are out the way so for me, this is ongoing," he said.
“I hope our campaign has made drivers think twice about getting behind the wheel while under the influence, and highlighted how long alcohol can remain in your system.
“Even a small amount of alcohol can affect your driving ability. If you’re drinking, even if you have just one, arrange another way of getting home.
“Our hotline is open all year round; calls can be made throughout the year and at any time of day or night, so we would encourage others to help us spread the word – whether that’s saving the number or sharing it with others.”