Sixteen motorists were arrested during a drink-driving crackdown in Derry, it has been revealed.
They were detained during the PSNI’s 2012-14 winter anti-drink drive operation.
Seven motorists were arrested in Strabane, four in Limavady and five in Magherafelt.
Preliminary figures indicate police detected and arrested 251 motorists for drink driving throughout the North the during the operation – down 22 from the 2012-13 figure of 273.
The figure includes motorists who were unfit to drive, or who were unable or refused to give a sample.
While the figure may be down, the number of women detected drink driving increased from 41 to 57.
Superintendent David Moor, Head of the PSNI’s Operations Branch, despite warnings and highly visible police operations, 251 people still took the risk of killing or injuring themselves, their family, friends and other innocent road users by deciding to drive after drinking.
He added: “While we welcome the fact that the vast majority of right thinking people realise that drink driving is shameful and unacceptable, clearly there is still an irresponsible minority who ignore all advice and warnings.
“Worryingly, this year we have also seen an increase in the number of women being detected – from 41 to 57.
“During this operation, we stopped and performed roadside preliminary breath tests on 4,582 drivers – over 500 more than last year.
“The 251 people who were subsequently arrested have begun 2014 with the prospect of going to court where they will almost certainly lose their driving licence. They should count themselves lucky.
“They could have lost their own life or destroyed the lives of others had police not stopped them.
“Our aim with this and every road safety initiative is to save lives and reduce injuries, which is why we ran operations day and night throughout the festive season and not just during the weekends or key dates.”
“Whilst the current publicity campaign has ended, the detection of drink driving will remain a year-round priority for police. So far this year, eight people have lost their lives on our roads, so we are once again appealing for everyone to take responsibility for road safety.
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