KEY POINTS:
Counties Manukau police say there is an urgent need for a change in community attitudes towards drink driving after a major weekend operation netted more than 250 suspected drink drivers.
Police alone could not force a change in attitude, and the community at large needed to change its behaviour toward this type of offending, road policing manager Inspector Heather Wells said today.
Operation Safer Counties-Manukau was run on Friday and Saturday nights with checkpoints on several major roads, including the southern motorway.
Ms Wells said 13,356 vehicles were stopped and drivers breath tested.
Of those, 274 returned positive results and would face prosecution in the next two weeks.
A further 34 drivers had blood samples taken and were awaiting results.
Ms Wells said that despite being apprehended and blowing tests over the limit, a few drivers obtained other keys and drove again - but were stopped at other checkpoints.
"They do anything to try and get home and by doing so put other people's lives at risk," she said.
Ms Wells said illegal street racer activity also reduced "dramatically" while the operation was running,
"There were less crashes on the roads, the hospital had quieter than normal evenings and police response vehicles had time to be proactive," she said.
Bailiffs accompanied police at a number of the checkpoint sites, and executed 48 warrants, taking 34 vehicles off the road and clearing outstanding fines amounting to $94,867.
Police-rostered salvage operators towed away 100 vehicles whose drivers were disqualified or driving while forbidden.
Twenty arrests were made for threatening to kill, stolen vehicles, weapons, refusing blood, breach of bail, wanted on warrant and wilful damage. Seventy-one drivers had their licences suspended.
- NZPA
