Whangārei police thankful for public’s help in catching alleged intoxicated driver

The man was caught by police at Onerahi while allegedly driving with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit.

A man who was allegedly driving with a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit has been arrested by Northland police thanks to the eagle eyes of a member of the public.

Police arrested the man about 8pm on Thursday. A police car driving along Onerahi Rd was flagged down by a member of the public.

The person told police they had seen a man in a nearby takeaway shop they believed was intoxicated, said Whangārei-Kaipara area commander Inspector Maria Nordstrom.

“The person was able to provide officers with a detailed description of the male and his vehicle.

“[Police] units have subsequently located the man driving and pulled him over, where he was allegedly more than three times the legal alcohol limit.”

Nordstrom said the man allegedly admitted to drinking more than a dozen beers and blew a reading of 805 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The limit is 250.

“We thank those who are alerting us to this behaviour. Vigilant reporting is often the key to police being able to respond in a timely manner and hold people to account for their actions,” she said.

A 57-year-old man was arrested and charged with driving with excess breath alcohol and driving contrary to terms of a zero-alcohol licence.

He has been remanded in custody, and is to next appear in Whangārei District Court on October 27.

Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years’ experience in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.