Police release bodycam footage of drink-drivers pulled over with bottles of gin, slurring their words, and a BABY in the backseat in stark warning over the festive period
- Durham Constabulary released the footage in a bid to get people to ‘listen’
Published: 16:05, 12 December 2023 | Updated: 16:40, 12 December 2023
The police have released bodycam footage of drink-drivers slurring their words, officers finding bottles of gin in the cars and even a baby found in the backseat.
Durham Constabulary released the footage in a bid to get people to ‘listen’ and stop drink driving.
In one of the clips, a car is seen on its side with a woman standing to the side. She claimed she’s ‘absolutely fine’ but officers found an empty-looking bottle of rhubarb and ginger gin in the footwell of her car.
In other clips, the drink-drivers were found to have children in the vehicle with them.
In one, someone says: ‘She’s got a bairn in the car, she’s not going to do nowt stupid.’
An officer in another clip said there’s a ‘little lad’ in the backseat in a booster seat.
This driver told the officer: ‘I’m not going to lie to you mate, I’ve had a couple of drinks tonight. I’ll hold my hands up, I shouldn’t have been behind the wheel’
Some of the clips showed cars flipped, crashed or on their sides
This woman was filmed looking distressed at the police station after being stopped
An empty-looking bottle of rhubarb and ginger gin was in the footwell of this crashed car
The video, released by police to show the ‘devastating consequences’ of drink-driving, showed the aftermath of accidents.
In the first clip, a woman is questioned by police who find a bottle of gin in her car, which one officer comments there’s ‘not much in that is there’.
The driver tells the officer: ‘I’m not going to lie to you mate, I’ve had a couple of drinks tonight. I’ll hold my hands up, I shouldn’t have been behind the wheel.’
In another clip, a person said: ‘I’ve had a few, I’m not going to lie to you.
I just want to get home, I just want to go to bed.’
In a different video, the driver asks the police: ‘Was I really bad? Really?
‘It doesn’t mean I’m drinking now. I’ve got a baby in the car.’
Another woman who was caught drink-driving was filmed telling officers: ‘I was literally sticking to the speed limit.’
While a different woman being breath analysed said: ‘I have had a couple of drinks.
I haven’t had just one pint. I will admit it.’
One clip showing a man clutching his injured leg then cuts to a man asking an officer ‘can I ring my mother?’
In the next video, a person defends a woman who was caught drink-driving with a child in the car.
This driver said: ‘I’ve had a few, I’m not going to lie to you. I just want to get home’
Another woman being breath analysed said: ‘I have had a couple of drinks.
I haven’t had just one pint. I will admit it’
Police found a bottle of gin in this woman’s car after she crashed in an accident
The video ended with this woman asking ‘is that really bad?’ and the man replies ‘you lose your job, you lose everything.’
They told the officer: ‘You want to catch paedophiles and that, don’t you? They want to catch proper criminals.
‘She’s got a bairn in the car.
She’s obviously not going to do nowt stupid.’
In a separate clip, a police officer finds a baby in the car after a crash.
He’s recorded as saying: ‘The little lad, he’s been in the rear seat here in a high-back booster with a car seat belt on.’
Video ends with a clip of a woman and man being questioned at a police station.
The woman asks ‘is that really bad?’ and the man replies ‘you lose your job, you lose everything.’
He then says to the officer: ‘You know…you shouldn’t drink and drive should you.’
The police officer responds: ‘People don’t listen to those though do they?’
The video, posted on YouTube, was captioned: ‘As we head into the second week of operations to target drink and drug drivers, Durham Constabulary has released footage in a bid to urge people not to drive under the influence.
‘The recordings, filmed by officers using their bodycams, show the devastating consequences of driving under the influence and the sheer ignorance of those who choose to flout the law.
‘Further videos will be released in the lead up to Christmas in the hope that those who choose to drive under the influence will pay attention and start listening.
‘In addition to the media campaign, officers from the force’s Roads and Armed Policing Unit have been out on the ground carrying out random vehicle stops and intelligence-led enforcement in a bid to remove drivers who are under the influence and keep people safe.
‘So far, 398 checks have been carried out across County Durham and Darlington.
‘Officers have arrested three people, one for drink driving and two for drug driving.
‘They have also seized two vehicles – one for no insurance and one due to the driver being disqualified – and have issued a ticket for no seatbelt.
‘Teams will continue their checks into the New Year to target those who put others at risk.
Start listening, life is precious.’
References
- ^ Emily Jane Davies (www.dailymail.co.uk)