Nearly a quarter of all drivers stopped in Somerset during the Police’s local World Cup police campaign were arrested for drink or drug driving shiw new figures.
Officers stopped 465 vehicles during dedicated enforcement shifts, most of them timed around England matches, and made 113 arrests – almost one for every four motorists pulled over.
Operation Limit ran throughout the tournament, with Avon and Somerset Roads Policing teams carrying out targeted patrols aimed at identifying drivers under the influence before they had the chance to cause serious harm.
Police say the figures underline the growing scale of drug driving on local roads. Of the suspected offences recorded, 82 related to drug driving and 31 to drink driving. Most of those arrested were men, accounting for 85 per cent of cases, and more than half were aged between 25 and 40. A further quarter were aged between 41 and 60.
The campaign also highlighted the impact of intelligence-led policing, with 21 arrests following information passed to officers by the public and 13 triggered by Automatic Number Plate Recognition activations.
Roads Policing Inspector Matt Boiles said the operation was designed to stop dangerous drivers before they could cause a serious or fatal collision. He said drug driving in particular had become increasingly visible since officers gained the ability to routinely test for drugs at the roadside, adding that every impaired driver represented a risk to themselves and everyone around them.
He also urged people to report anyone they suspect of regularly driving under the influence, saying public information continued to play a vital role in identifying offenders and preventing harm.
The operation formed part of a national effort to reduce drink and drug driving during the World Cup, and officers say it also reinforced the links between roads policing and wider crime.
Sixteen of those arrested were already known to police as previous domestic abuse or violence against women and girls offenders, demonstrating how proactive stops can help identify individuals linked to other forms of offending as well as improving road safety.
Inspector Boiles adds roads policing was about far more than enforcing traffic laws, with every stop offering an opportunity to identify risk, safeguard victims and protect communities from wider harm.
Police are continuing to encourage people to report suspected drink or drug drivers. Information can be submitted via their online form on the Avon and Somerset Police website, or by calling 999 if the offence is happening at the time.
