By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
DRINK drivers in Melbourne’s south-east have been put on notice.
This Grand Final weekend, police will saturate the streets of Casey, Cardinia and Dandenong as Operation Scoreboard is unleashed to coincide with football’s biggest day.
The operation will run state-wide from 1 to 4 October but will be strongly focused in Melbourne’s outer south-east and will include patrols of both marked and unmarked cars, with packaged liquor outlets to be regularly monitored.
Acting Senior Sergeant Pat Green from the Casey Cardinia Highway Patrol said officers would be out in force.
“There are plenty of ways to enjoy the AFL and NRL Grand Finals and while many will involve the consumption of alcohol, we ask you put road safety at the front of your minds,” he said.
“Stay within the speed limit, don’t drink or take drugs and drive, leave your mobile phone out of reach, use your seatbelt, and make sure you are well rested.”
Acting Sen Sgt Green said a lack of public transport in Casey, Cardinia and Dandenong could see a rise in the likelihood of drink-driving in the region.
“We got an intelligence brief and our analysts looked at previous Grand Final weekends, and now because it’s a public holiday, people are likely to be drinking more,” Acting Sen Sgt Green said.
“And in places like Cardinia, and Casey, which are further removed from town and where public transport isn’t great, people rely on cars.”
He said the Casey Highway Patrol was getting on the “front foot”, targeting the three neighbouring south-eastern municipalities.
“Because Casey has been identified as a high-risk Local Government Area for road trauma, we’ll be getting the lion’s share of assistance outside our division,” Acting Sen Sgt Green said.
“We will target drivers causing road trauma, drink, drug, speeding, mobile phones, not wearing seatbelts … there’s a huge emphasis on this area and the coverage will be 24/7.”
Automatic numberplate recognition will be used as part of Operation Scoreboard, in addition to the booze and drug buses and mobile speed cameras.
