Only in the UK: today Gwent Constabulary have announced that they stopped 20,578 drivers in the Gwent Police Force area between December 1st and January 1st.
Only 80 returned a positive breath test or refused/ failed to provide a breath test.
Now I'm not agreeing with drink driving here but to have over 20,000 innocent people stopped by the police is surly a waste of manpower and resources? With a 0.4% success rate surley there are better things for the Police to be doing with their time than harrassing the innocent.
Of course the Police, who today act no better than uniformed tax collectors hail this as "encouraging". Just what is encouraging about this - the fact that the vast majority of people stopped were innocent?
Still at least when Gwent Police are stopping innocent drivers they are not bothering to halt photographers under the so-called anti-terrorism laws - the Section 44 legislation. If anyone is in London on Saturday then can I suggest this little show to them. Old Holborn is meeting in the Chandos from 11.00 am. Looks like fun.
Surely such stats underline the fact that drink-driving has become an offence committed by a relatively small hard core which is best tackled by a targeted, intelligence-led approach rather than by mass intimidation.
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