Help catch drink-drivers by texting police (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Help catch drink-drivers by texting police
9:00am Wednesday 5th December 2012 in Local By Chris Gregory
Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley
HELP us to catch drink-drivers – that’s the message from Hampshire Police as they launch their annual festive crackdown on drink and drug drivers.
Officers want people to send a text to 80999 if they spot a driver who they suspect has been drinking.
The information, which will be received anonymously, should include the precise location of where the driver has been spotted, the direction of travel, and as many vehicle details as possible, especially the registration number.
Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley, of Roads Policing for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police, urged people to use the text service, which was launched last year.
He said: “You could be saving a life, be it the driver’s or someone who has the misfortune of getting in their way.
“We are out every day of the year tackling this issue, but at Christmas, we see more drink-drivers than at any other time in the year. It’s not just about catching people. It’s about coming between them and catastrophic consequences.”
The Smashed campaign, as it is called, will be promoted with adverts on buses and at bus stops, on car bumper stickers and beer mats in pubs across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. It will run from now until New Year’s Day.
Last year, the force’s Christmas campaign saw 240 people arrested on suspicion of drink-driving in Hampshire alone – an increase of 9.1 per cent on 2010.
The north and east Hampshire policing area, of which Basingstoke is a part, saw the highest number of arrests last Christmas with 68.
Comments(9)
jonone
says...
12:05pm Wed 5 Dec 12
jbee37
says...
1:08pm Wed 5 Dec 12
I heard of a case once where neighbours shopped a driver who used to regularly drive home after drinking, but when it came to court, the judge threw the case out because it was decided that informing the police that the driver had been drinking was not reasonable ground for suspicion.
guywithsomesense
says...
1:31pm Wed 5 Dec 12
.... what are they actually going to do with this information? yesterday they had a story of someone stealing petrol in Tadley with a picture of the car and driver and number plate and the Police were asking for the public's help in tracking them down...!
starbucks911
says...
4:24pm Wed 5 Dec 12
guywithsomesense wrote:They will inform all patrol cars in the vicinity to keep a look out for the vehicle with that registration mark on it. A bit like a fox hunt I guess. Probably a bit more exciting for them and far more productive use of their time than setting up a speed trap outside a school at 8pm in the evening.
"The information, which will be received anonymously, should include the precise location of where the driver has been spotted, the direction of travel, and as many vehicle details as possible, especially the registration number....."
.... what are they actually going to do with this information? yesterday they had a story of someone stealing petrol in Tadley with a picture of the car and driver and number plate and the Police were asking for the public's help in tracking them down...!
Folkestone Saint
says...
11:34pm Wed 5 Dec 12
robertspet8
says...
3:11pm Fri 7 Dec 12
So are they running two crackdowns at the same time? And if they currently have the time and resources to this what will prevent them from carry on the same level of activities all year round?
Upontheroof
says...
5:34pm Mon 10 Dec 12
Hector2004
says...
9:27am Tue 11 Dec 12
Ding says...
9:49am Wed 5 Dec 12