200 arrested so far by Merseyside Police in Christmas drink and drug driving campaign

Staggering figures from Merseyside Police have revealed that out of 200 drivers tested for drug or drink driving since 21 November, one in two drug wipes have proven to be positive and one in 15 are testing positive for drink driving.

Merseyside Police have arrested 200 people as part of this year’s ongoing Christmas drink and drug driving campaign.

Op Limit, which was launched on November 21, has seen officers from the Matrix Roads Policing Unit and colleagues across the force step up patrols for the campaign, which runs until Monday 2^nd January 2023.

The 200^th arrest was recorded on Tuesday 6 December as officers look to take dangerous drivers off the roads.

Of these arrests, 143 people were arrested on suspicion of drug driving and 57 people on suspicion of drink driving.

It means officers are arresting an average of 13 people a day during Op Limit. In order to do this, officers have conducted 862 breath tests and 309 drug wipes.

So far, one in two drug wipes have proven to be positive and one in 15 are testing positive for drink driving.

Roads Policing Sergeant Tim Pottle said: 

“The 200^th arrest as part of Op Limit shows how seriously our officers are taking this year’s operation.

“We will not sit back and let people get behind the wheel while under the influence of drugs or alcohol and pose a danger to other road users and pedestrians.

“We will be continuing our efforts across the festive period. If you do drive under the influence of drink, drugs, or both, you are putting your own safety at risk, the safety of everyone in your vehicle, and the safety of every other road user you come across on your journey. Think of the consequences before drink or drug driving – a crash or conviction can shatter many lives including your own.”

Statistics from the UK Government show that between 60-70% of casualties in road traffic collisions from 2014-2020 ended with fatality when an impairment drug was detected

Op Limit coincides with Operation Shepherd, which is Merseyside Police’s annual campaign to reduce crime and keep communities safe during the festive season.

Op Limit, which also runs nationally and was previously known in Merseyside as Operation Nemesis, aims to prevent unnecessary deaths and serious injuries on the roads and to raise awareness of the dangers around driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

If you have information about anyone who is driving whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs, please contact @MerPolCC, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.