Please attribute to Senior Sergeant Tyson Martin, Counties Manukau Police:
Counties Manukau Police is disappointed we have already caught 39 people drink driving over the last week and since we kicked off Operation Āperira.
Police are always focused on reducing harm on our roads but Counties Manukau Police are ramping it up for the month of April with Operation Āperira due to the fact that we have two long weekends, along with school holidays. This means our roads will be busier than normal and we have already lost nine people to crashes in Counties Manukau since the start of the year.
On average one person is killed every day on New Zealand roads, another seven are seriously injured. This is simply not good enough and Police have seen first-hand the devastation caused to families and whanau when we have to tell them that their loved one has died in a road crash.Counties Manukau Road Policing Team leader Senior Sergeant Tyson Martin says 39 people driving under the influence of alcohol is hugely concerning for police and communities:
“Drink-driving poses a huge threat to other road users and it simply isn’t acceptable that people think they can get behind the wheel of a vehicle under the influence of alcohol or drugs and potentially cause serious injuries or take the life of another person. People can expect to see an increased Police presence on our roads as well as checkpoints by our Impairment Prevention Teams. Expect to see us anywhere, anytime.”
“Police and our partners are working hard to reduce harm on our roads, but we cannot do this alone. Road users have choices – do not drink and drive, do not pick up the phone when driving, wear your restraints and drive to the conditions. Ultimately, the decision to make good driving decisions rests with drivers. Road crashes do not discriminate and we all need to play our part in keeping our roads safe.”
ENDS
Shelley Nahr/NZ Police