36 year old man arrested for drug driving in Harlow

A suspected drink driver was arrested during a road safety operation in Harlow yesterday (Wednesday, May 1, 2016).

Officers from the Casualty Reduction Unit were joined by a group of students from Essex Police College during the operation which aimed to increase road safety and detect offenders using the roads. The Surround a Town operation forms part of a long-running campaign with Essex County Council and the Safer Essex Roads Partnership and used automatic number plate recognition technology (ANPR) to identify suspect vehicles.

Motorcycles and cars were used to intercept vehicles which were taken to stop-check sites at junction 7 of the M11, Southern Way and First Avenue. A 36-year-old man from Harlow was arrested on suspicion of drink driving and driving without insurance. Benjamin Mayes of Glebelands was charged with both offences and released on bail to appear at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court on the morning of May 26, 2016. During the operation 63 people were dealt with for not wearing a seatbelt and 37 drivers were stopped for using a mobile phone behind the wheel. Two vehicles were found not to have valid MOTs and one was found to have a defective tyre.

One driver was dealt with for careless driving and three vehicles were found to be over the legal weight limit.

Sgt Dave Rudd from the Casualty Reduction Unit said: “Drink driving risks and ruins lives. Driving while under the influence of alcohol puts your safety as well as the safety of innocent road users at risk. “Essex Police takes a zero tolerance approach to people who drive under the influence. However we need the public to do their bit and speak up about people who regularly choose to get behind the wheel drunk or high on drugs. You can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 with information.

No one will have to know you called and you won’t have to give your name. Information will be fed to my team and I can reassure residents that it will be acted upon.

“Please don’t forgot that you need to dial 999 in an emergency if you know someone is drunk and see them getting behind the wheel of a vehicle.”