More than 500 people were caught driving while drunk over the Christmas period in the North, according to figures released yesterday.
The PSNI said that its anti-drink-driving blitz detected a total of 529 motorists driving while over the legal limit, an increase of 51 from the same time last year.
By comparison, in the South, gardaí arrested 1,416 people suspected of drunk-driving in the first five weeks of their Christmas campaign, an increase of about 8 per cent on last year's figure.
The number of people breath tested by gardaí in the first five weeks was 1,974, compared to 1,794 last year. However, some 3,800 people were tested in the North during the PSNI's blitz which ran from November 22nd to January 2nd. The six-week Garda campaign ended last Friday and final figures are due out this week .
In excess of 11,000 people are arrested for drunk driving in the Republic each year. According to gardaí, alcohol is the primary cause of roughly 25 per cent of all road collisions and 33 per cent of fatal collisions.
Assistant Chief Constable, Mr Roy Toner, warned the PSNI would maintain the pressure on drink-drivers and bring them before the courts. "The message from the police is simple. If you drink and drive then there is a good chance that you will be caught. And that chance is increasing all the time," he said.
The detections include motorists who were unfit to drive, or who were unable or refused to give a sample. The figures showed 149 drivers were over twice the legal limit, 30 were over three times the legal limit and two were over four times the legal limit.
The majority of the detections in the North (242) were between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. The number of "morning after" detections (between 6 a.m. and 12 noon) was 22.
At the beginning of this year's campaign, the PSNI warned there would be no hiding place for people who drink and drive.
Mr Toner said it was disappointing that so many people decided to get behind the wheel after drinking. "That, of course, means 529 people who are now looking into 2005 with the inevitable prospect of losing their licences, and in some cases their livelihoods," he added.
"The vast majority of right-thinking people realise that drink-driving is shameful and unacceptable.
"However, there seems to be an irresponsible minority who ignore all advice and warnings," said Mr Toner.