GETTING behind the wheel of a car under the influence of drink or drugs is a “recipe for disaster”.

That is the stern warning of Dorset’s police and crime commissioner after he saw officers carrying out proactive patrols on the county’s roads.

Dorset Police is in the midst of a summer drink drive campaign in which it is reminding motorists they face a minimum of a 12-month ban, an unlimited fine and a criminal record if caught.

Thursday night’s patrol saw officers deliver enforcement and engagement with drivers at a checkpoint in Lansdowne Road.

PC Dave Cotterill, of the roads policing team, told the Daily Echo: “This evening we’ve been out targeting the fatal five on Dorset’s roads with a particular focus on those who drink and drug drive.

“Officers from the roads policing team were joined by special constables from the No Excuse team as well as student officers and their tutors from our professional development unit.

“A number of offences were dealt with and officers are reminding drivers of their responsibilities on the road network to keep themselves and those around them safe.

“Our summer drink driving campaign runs until the end of August and those who decide to have a drink should make sure they’ve got suitable arrangements to get home safely.”

David Sidwick, police and crime commissioner for Dorset, attended part of the patrol to see the roads policing team in action.

“This work is absolutely vital,” said Mr Sidwick. “There are two angles to it. How important is it for the public to see our police doing this, which I think I think is incredibly important because it is a reminder. Every person who has gone past here, if they haven’t been pulled over, they’ve been reminded of what they should be doing. They should be going at the right speed, their car should be in a good condition, they shouldn’t be under the influence of either drugs or alcohol.

“I also think it is important for me to see them. I am the police and crime commissioner - it says what it does on the tin. I need to see the officers, see what they are doing. On a strategic level I want them to be following the police and crime plan, so it is very important that I link in with them and understand what they are up to.”

Asked about the need for enforcement, Mr Sidwick said: “We have pretty much a rural county for two thirds of it on the left-hand side and we know that our rural roads are the most dangerous in the county, so roads policing is very important from that perspective. A lot of us get into a vehicle every day which weighs a couple of tonnes and we are using it hopefully in the right way. If we don’t use it in the right way it is an extremely dangerous machine and that is an important.

“I have a particular thing about being tough on drugs. When you drink and you take drugs and you get behind a machine, I think that is a recipe for disaster and I want to see more enforcement on that as we go forward over the next couple of years.”