Police charge 246 with drink-driving in three-day blitz
Mon Nov 16 13:59:38 EST 2009
Mon Nov 16 02:59:38 UTC 2009
SYDNEY, Nov 16 AAP - NSW's police chief says he's "appalled" by driver irresponsibility after 246 people were charged with drink-driving over the weekend.
During Operation Avert 4, which ran from 6am (AEDT) on Friday to midnight on Sunday, police conducted 28,500 random breath tests, charging 246 motorists with drink-driving offences and 69 for driving while disqualified.
The operation also targeted outstanding warrants, fingerprint and DNA identification, and bail and parole compliance.
Officers arrested 867 people in total and laid 1,204 charges over the three-day blitz.
NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione said he was astounded at the number of people charged with drink-driving offences.
"I am frustrated and our senior police are frustrated in the face of the repeated examples of irresponsible behaviour displayed on our roads," Mr Scipione said on Monday.
"But our frustration is nothing compared to the grief of seven families who have lost loved ones in crashes over the weekend.
"Until people change their behaviour, this tragedy is going to continue."
Mr Scipione said police saw shocking examples of irresponsible driver behaviour over the weekend.
He said at Batemans Bay on the south coast officers charged a 21-year-old man after he was detected driving at 151 km/h in a 70 km/h zone.
Only hours later, a 20-year-old man was detected driving at 218 k/mh along Sydney's M5 at Riverwood in a 110 km/h zone.
Of the 867 people arrested, 111 people were arrested for breach of bail, 161 people for outstanding warrants and 40 were arrested based on the DNA and fingerprint analysis.
