Police arrested ten drink-drivers in a six-hour ring-fencing operation in the Boat Quay area last night. This brings the total number of drink drivers caught so far this year to 1,371.

On 18 June 2010 at about 3.15am , simultaneous road blocks were set up along Church Street , Cecil Street, South Bridge Road, Maxwell Road, North Canal Road, Merchant Road , New Bridge Road and Kampong Bahru Road to ring-fence the cluster of entertainment outlets and drinking haunts in the vicinity.

The breathalyser test was administered to 61 motorists. Ten failed the test and were arrested for drink-driving. All ten were male, aged between 19 and 64 years old. The highest breathalyser result recorded was 75 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath by a 23-year-old male driver; this is more than double the prescribed legal limit of 35 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath.

A total of 43 persons were also summoned for other traffic-related offences such as speeding, driving without a valid licence and driving while under disqualification.

Traffic Police would like to remind the public that drink driving is a very serious offence and the penalties are severe. Even if the driver's alcohol content in his blood or breath does not go beyond the legal limit, he can still be charged for drink driving if he is unable to control his vehicle properly. Drink drivers, on conviction, will be disqualified from driving for at least 12 months, which would, in effect, invalidate their driving licences. In addition, first-time offenders can be fined between $1,000 and $5,000, or jailed up to 6 months, while repeat offenders may be punished with a maximum fine of $30,000 and a mandatory jail term of up to 3 years. They may also be caned up to six strokes should death or serious injury be caused.