Hampshire Constabulary is urging members of the public to use an anonymous SMS service to report suspected drunk drivers. Last Christmas, the text-only number was debuted, and it will be used for this year’s Christmas drink-driving campaign, which will run through New Year’s Day.
Senders merely need to text the precise area where the driver was last seen, the direction of travel, and as much vehicle data as possible to 80999, and the information will be received anonymously.
Between December 1 and January 1, 2011, police arrested 16 people on the Isle of Wight on suspicion of drink-driving.
“The public can really help the campaign by displaying a bumper sticker on their car and recording the number on their phone,” said Chief Inspector Andy Bottomley of Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing.
“If you believe someone has been drinking and is driving while over the limit, please text us, tell us where the car is, and give us the registration number, and we’ll take care of the rest.”
“You can also call us on 999 if you observe someone who you suspect is driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. We will respond as if it were an emergency.”
“We are out every day of the year addressing this issue, but we see more drunk drivers over the holidays than at any other time of the year. We’re going to put everything we’ve got into solving this problem.
*The Isle of Wight Chronicle would like to emphasise the importance of not using your phone while driving.”