More than 150 arrests and 1,500 roadside tests in drink and drug drive operation

We arrested 154 people and carried out more than 1,500 roadside tests in December as part of intensified efforts to prevent deaths and serious injuries caused by drink and drug driving in Staffordshire.

On 1 December we launched a month-long intensification campaign called Operation Limit.

Forces across the UK have been supporting the initiative since 2022 after statistics revealed that 467 collisions were caused by drink or drug driving in December that year. A total of 422 collisions were caused by drink or driving the following year (2023).

Officers from our road crime team (RCT) supported the wider force in carrying out enforcement action across the county, resulting in:

• A total of 1,544 roadside drink and drug driving tests being carried out
• 78 people being arrested for providing a positive roadside breath test
• 53 motorists being arrested on suspicion of drug driving offences
• 10 people being arrested for failing to provide a roadside breath test
• 13 others being arrested for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.

In 2023, 45 people sadly lost their lives on roads across Staffordshire. Many of these deaths could have been avoided.

This is why our road crime team officers are committed to working proactively to enforce and promote road safety. They also target those who use the county’s roads for criminality, including the distribution of drugs and exploiting the vulnerable.

Since the team's launch on 1 October, officers have arrested 211 people suspected of driving offences and seized more than 450 vehicles and criminal assets worth in excess of £1.7 million.