A senior police officer has expressed his disappointment at the high number of drivers found over the drink-drive limit in small rural communities on Saturday night (3 April).
From around 6pm on Saturday one of the Central District breath-testing units was working in the Tararua area. Officers were randomly setting up mini-checkpoints for short periods of time stopping a few vehicles and them moving to another nearby location.
During the evening they processed 6 drivers with a positive breath-blood alcohol reading in Dannevirke, a 7th in Pahiatua and an 8th in Eketahuna.
Senior Sergeant Nick Dobson of the Central District Traffic Support Unit said: “It’s incredibly disappointing that so many people in such a short space of time put the lives of themselves and others at risk during this holiday period. Drivers should not be under any illusion that they can get away with this type of behaviour just because they live in more rural locations. Drink-driving will not be tolerated and motorists can be assured that we will be continuing to crack down on it in areas both remote and urban.”