Police launch campaign to tackle drink and drug drivers

Insp Greg Laidlaw said people had not learned lessons from fatalities on the county's roads

Seven people are arrested every day for drink-driving offences in Lancashire, new figures have shown.

Lancashire Police said more than 2,600 people were arrested for drink or drug driving offences across the county in the past 12 months.

The statistics come as the force launched its Operation Virage campaign to target repeat drink and drug drivers.

Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Clive Grunshaw said the figures represented a "failure of selfish individuals willing to put others at risk".

'It's a choice'

Speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire, Mr Grunshaw, said: "This is a choice that people make, it's not a simple mistake, it's a crime."

The campaign will allow roads policing officers to spend more time tracking down some of the county's most prolific drink and drug drivers.

Funded by the PCC, the operation will rely upon the community's input in reporting drink and drug driving suspects to the force.

"The real story is about the people who have been injured and died, so if you have seen the consequences of some of these actions it's not about dobbing people in, it's about keeping the people of Lancashire safe," Mr Grunshaw added.

Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw said the operation is not about "dobbing people in"

Insp Greg Laidlaw said age did not factor into the statistics, with "everyone from youngsters to those who are in excess of 50 years old" offending.

"People aren't learning from the fatalities and the serious injuries that we are suffering on the roads," he said.

When intelligence is reported to the police, it undergoes checks to ensure the information is not malicious before being graded, the force said.

The operation will be divided into a traffic light system, Insp Laidlaw explained, with red marking those at a high risk who have either offended before or been imprisoned for the same offence.

"Regardless of whether there is an operation running or not, Lancashire Police in particular [is] dedicated to finding these people and taking them off the streets," he added.