Police are praising the public after a decrease in the number of drink drivers for the first half of the Queens Birthday Long Weekend.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Western Region Traffic Tactician Inspector Ben Macfarlane said there was a slight decrease in drink drivers following Operation Stay Alert compared to last year.
"Obviously, due to COVID-19 we've had less breath test stations than in previous years, but we matched those with mobile breath tests," Inspector Macfarlane said.
"It's still good to see those numbers have dropped over the June Long Weekend compared to the same time last year.
"From Friday to Saturday we have seen the same number of motor vehicle crashes (MVA's) as last year, however, none of which were fatal."
Inspector MacFarlane said at the moment, from January 1 to now, the Western Region has had 13 fewer fatalities due to MVA's compared to the same time last year.
"Traffic for the Western Region is approaching pre-COVID-19 numbers, meaning we are nearly back to where we were before COVID," he said.
"We've seen travellers coming in, a lot from the East and North of Newell Highway, West of Newell has been thinner."
In other police news over the weekend, officers arrested a 55-year-old man from Cobar after he was allegedly caught drug-driving while speeding with ammunition and bags of meth in his vehicle.
At 1.10am on Saturday, June 6, the man on the M1 Motorway at Wahroonga, north of Sydney. Police said further checks revealed the driver was the subject of a current firearms prohibition order.
A search of the vehicle was conducted and police located 15 grams of what they will allege is methamphetamine in the front passenger footwell, as well as six rounds of large calibre ammunition.
He was issued a penalty notice for the exceed speed offence. In a statement, police officers said further legal process was likely, pending the lab results for the oral fluid test.
Also over the long weekend a 30-year-old women was arrested following a pursuit in Broken Hill just after 9pm on Friday, June 5.
She was charged with police pursuit - not stop - drive dangerously and drive motor vehicle while licence suspended.
She appeared before Broken Hill Local Court on Saturday, June 6 where she was formally refused bail to appear at Dubbo Local Court later this month.