During Euros, Roads Policing officers arrested 224 unfit drivers
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As part of our Euro 2024 policing response, Roads Policing officers arrested 224 drivers in an effort to keep roads in Essex safe.
During the European Football Championship, our Roads Policing Unit officers focussed policing activities on those drivers who were unfit to drive through drink or drugs between kick-off on Friday 14 June and 5.45am on Monday 15 July, the morning after the finals.
Over the month, 224 drivers were arrested as follows: 122 drivers were arrested for drink driving, 76 drivers were arrested for drug driving and 26 drivers were arrested for failing to provide a specimen.
Inspector Emma Patterson, said:
Our priority is, and always will be, to keep the roads safe for everyone and to keep them moving.
Most people know that drink and drug driving is against the law, but 224 drivers thought they were safe to drive and, despite providing positive results showing drugs and alcohol in their systems, they attempted to drive, posing a real danger to other road users, and themselves.
Thankfully they were stopped as part of proactive patrols before any other road user came to harm because of their reckless decisions.
We’re not complacent about drink or drug driving and will always target those drivers, and our work won’t stop because the Euros have stopped.
We continue to work with partners to inform and educate the public about the dangers of drink or drug driving and what the consequences are if you’re caught and we’ll continue to proactively patrol the roads, whether they’re the strategic main roads or the rural roads, to identify and target drink and drug drivers and take appropriate action to make sure all road users are safe.
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