Police Forces Initiate Joint Impaired Driving Campaign

Lancashire and Merseyside police forces have collaborated to launch their annual joint initiative targeting drink and drug driving in the period leading up to Christmas. They commenced the combined operation with roadside spot checks at Robin Island, Maghull, Merseyside, located on the county border, issuing a warning that more checks would be conducted “at all times of the day and night”. The forces aim for this to convey a clear message to drivers that “nowhere is safe when it comes to driving under the influence”. Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire police and crime commissioner, stated: “Our message to drink and drug drivers is clear – get help or get caught.” This effort coincides with the national Operation Limit campaign, which runs throughout December, with the goal of reducing the number of individuals killed and seriously injured in collisions during the festive season. The forces emphasized that they would be conducting roadside spot checks continuously, day and night, across Lancashire and Merseyside to demonstrate that “there is no safe time or place to drive under the influence”. Chief Inspector Stuart McIver, of Merseyside Police, noted that the cross-border operation would yield a much more accurate representation of the problem’s realities. He explained: “Someone may well be waking up after a Christmas do in Ormskirk, unfit to drive, but still getting behind the wheel and heading off to work in Southport – or vice versa.” Mr. Grunshaw asserted: “Drink and drug driving are unacceptable and anyone who selfishly puts other road users’ lives at risk should feel the full force of the law.” Chief Inspector Matt Wilmott from Lancashire Police highlighted the significant dangers associated with drug driving, pointing out that people might be unaware of how long drugs remain in the body’s system. He remarked: “If people have taken drugs and the next day they feel fine they assume the drugs are not in their system… but actually drugs stay in the system a lot longer [than alcohol].”