THUNDER BAY – Regional law enforcement agencies are hoping for less, not more, this holiday season.
Last year in Northwestern Ontario, 74 drivers were nabbed for impaired driving at RIDE checkpoints during the festive season. The OPP arrested 42 while another 10 were issued warning range suspensions. The 15 drivers arrested by Thunder Bay police was a significant increase from the 10 the prior year, while another nine received warning range suspensions.
OPP Sgt. David Bel, who has been involved in holiday season RIDE campaigns during his entire 28-year career, said impaired driving happens too often.
“Particularly in the festive season we find there’s an overindulgence of alcohol and it’s still very surprising, the amount of people who are arrested for impaired throughout the Christmas season,” Bel said on Tuesday where officers from the OPP, Thunder Bay Police Service and other Northwestern Ontario police forces officially launched their Festive RIDE campaign on Tuesday morning along Arthur Street.
“Typically over the festive season, here in Thunder Bay (the OPP will) deal with four or five impaired drivers. We would like to see that be zero but in the event somebody does drink and drive we’ll be out there and most likely catch them.”
City police Const. Mark Cattani said between Operation Red Nose, taxi service, ride sharing and city transit, there are plenty of ways for people to get home without endangering themselves or others.
“There are so many options that are out there. There really is no excuse, especially this time of year,” Cattani said.
The presence of the checkpoint on Tuesday was made evident, as multiple police vehicles were stopped both sides of the road with lights flashing and multiple officers clearly visible in the middle of the road to talk to drivers.
That won’t necessarily be the case over the coming weeks as the checkpoints look to catch unsuspecting drivers, Cattani cautioned.
“The problem is with social media especially all it takes is one text from a friend to somebody else who is back at the bar and all of the sudden everybody knows the police are outside,” Cattani said.
“It takes some creativity. We turn down the lights significantly, we try to be a little sneaky and hide in different locations like blind corners, things like that and not really announce our presence.”
