West Midlands Police has defended its World Cup drink-drive crackdown after facing criticism over what some called 'easy collars'. The force stopped more than 70 vehicles on Duncan Edwards Road in Dudley and breathalysed drivers following England's 4-2 victory over Croatia in Dallas last week.
No drivers were found to be over the limit, but the operation attracted negative comments on social media, seen by BirminghamLive, questioning whether officers had nothing better to do.
Police response to criticism
In a statement, the force said: 'There are quite a lot of negative comments on this post, so we just want to remind people what our officers are dealing with most days. They're the people responding to serious collisions, dealing with the aftermath, and supporting families who have lost loved ones to dangerous driving.'
Officers stressed that the purpose of the operations was always to 'reduce harm and save lives - not to create inconvenience during your morning commute'. Statistics show one in five drink-drivers are stopped between 6am and midday.
Morning after risk
Police noted that later kick-off times and extended licensing hours mean many people are drinking more alcohol, which can remain in the system for several hours and impair driving the next morning. 'Alcohol stays in the body far longer than many people realise, and it's easy to remain over the limit the morning after heavy drinking,' the force added.
During the operation, one vehicle was seized for having no insurance, while seven drivers were reported for illegal window tints or number plates.
Police advice to drivers
West Midlands Police urged all drivers and football fans to plan ahead and arrange alternative transport if they intend to drink, use taxis or public transport to get to work, leave their vehicle at home if they have consumed alcohol, never take the risk even if they 'feel fine' to drive, and enjoy the World Cup responsibly.
'We also run drink-driving ops during the evenings because the danger continues around-the-clock and so does our work,' the force concluded.
