Police officers breath-test motorists at a checkpoint in Kaikorai Valley Rd in Dunedin in an anti-drink-driving operation last weekend. Photos: Peter McIntosh.

Police stopped more than 3000 motorists in an anti-drink-driving operation in Dunedin over three nights last week.

The five checkpoint sites in the city included a southern stretch of Kaikorai Valley Rd on Friday night.

At the checkpoint, motorists count to double digits for officers with hand-held breath-screening devices.

As the officers wait for the device to give a result, they ask motorists how their night is going.

"I’ve just picked up the ingredients for a hangi," a driver responds.

As the hours pass, so does every driver, not one arrest, or infringement notice, given for drinking and driving.

A police officer breath-tests a motorist.

As the traffic dissipates, Senior Sergeant Steve Larking considers moving the checkpoint to another part of the city.

But not just yet.

"It’s like fishing, you think, ‘Just one more’," Snr Sgt Larking said.

As every fisherman knows: patience can bring sweet rewards.

The final car to enter the checkpoint is a late-model BMW travelling north with three men inside.

The driver is an architect in his 60s, who has just flown from Wellington with his two friends.

The officer’s hand-held device detects a breath-alcohol reading between 250mcg and 400mcg on the architect.

The smartly dressed professional doubts the accuracy of the result because his final drink was consumed in the capital.

As the officer opens the door to the booze bus, the brightly lit interior is sobering.

A picture of Muppet Show character Sam the Eagle greets people as they enter the bus.

The judgemental bird, with furrowed brow, asserts: "I don’t approve".

The architect is told to sit on the low wooden bench seat, next to the Drager 9510 evidential breath-testing device on a table.

An officer sits in a chair in a higher position on the other side of the table and begins reading the architect his rights.

The architect sits on the bench with arms folded, breathing deeply, in his line of sight is a cartoon on a wall.

The cartoon is of a man holding a ridiculously large-sized glass of wine.

"I never have more than one glass," the cartoon reveller says.

The cartoon is designed to be funny, but seen inside the bus is not, probably because it is beside notes with phone numbers for alcohol helplines and reminders to officers to consider taking DNA samples.

The architect is doing everything he can to stall for time, asking to use the toilet, get a drink of water — each request politely declined by police.

"Would you like to speak to a lawyer," the officer repeats.

The architect asks to speak to his friend in the car, who is a lawyer but not practising.

His request to get his mate in the bus is declined but an officer goes out to the BMW to get his phone number so the architect can call him from a private booth inside the bus.

The officers usually allow for a 15-minute chat with a lawyer but the architect insists he needs more time in the booth.

In the booth, the architect decides he wants to talk to his practising lawyer and tells officers he has left a message for him to call.

"I want to wait until I get the real deal," the architect says.

The officer says the test will proceed, once the Drager has being warmed up again.

As the device warms, it make a noise, which the architect mistakes for his cellphone ringing.

"Can I take that?" says the architect, checking his phone.

As the device is ready, the lawyer rings and the architect is back in the booth for another 10 minutes before he can stall no more and has to take the test.

The architect blows 317mcg — high enough to get a $200 infringement notice and 50 demerit points but low enough to keep him out of court.

"I’m bad but not bad," the architect surmises.

But the 50 demerit points will push him beyond 100 points, resulting in a loss of licence for three months.

The architect asks officers if he can call his lawyer.

"I’ll just tell him where we are at so he can get back to his bottle of scotch."

As the architect leaves the bus, he passes a picture on a bus cabinet of Sesame Street character Count von Count laughing: "One, ah, ah, ah."

The count is right, the architect is the first and last drink-driver to be caught at the checkpoint.

But there were some close calls.

Within 15 minutes of the checkpoint opening, a driver ignores officer’s signals to stop and turns up Townleys Rd.After a low-speed police chase up the hill, the driver, a farmer in his late 70s, is brought back to the bus.

"Why didn’t you stop," an officer asks the farmer as he sits down on the bench.

"I got bewildered a bit by the lights. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run away from you," the farmer says in his mud-covered red band gumboots.

After declining his right to talk to a lawyer he awaits instruction from the officer on how to blow in the machine.

"Big deep breath and I’ll tell you when to stop ... blow a wee bit harder, keep going, keep going, keep going, keep going, stop." the officer says.

The farmer twiddles his thumbs as the device produces a 245mcg result.

"You’ve come in right on limit," the officer says.

As the farmer is "on the limit" he is forbidden to drive for five hours and is given a ride home by police.

"See you next time," an officer farewells the farmer.

"There won’t be a next time," the farmer promises, saying he needs his driver’s licence to transport his wife who has dementia.

About an hour later, a scaffolder in his mid-20s is in the bus blowing in the device.

He admits finishing a premixed can of bourbon and cola before driving to the checkpoint.

"It may be one too many," he said awaiting the result, leaning his tattooed arms forward to rest on his thighs, ready for any repercussions.

He need not have worried, blowing 78mcg.

Drinking just before driving could produce a failed result in a roadside test, the officer said.

The bourbon must have been fresh in his gullet when he blew in the roadside testing device.

By the time of the test in the bus, the alcohol had gone from his gullet, and there was not enough in his lungs to fail the breath-alcohol test.

"You had my heart pounding," the scaffolder says.

Sergeant Bruce Martin, of Alexandra-based road policing group, said there was no profile of a drink-driver and "they come from all walks of life".

From teenagers to pensioners, the unemployed to professionals, he said.

People reacted differently on the bus, Sgt Martin said.

"You saw for yourself, the difference between someone that’s resigned to the fact they’ve made a mistake and takes responsibility for their actions and other people who will look for any excuse to try and avoid being held accountable for what they’ve done."

● The breath-alcohol limit for drivers aged 20 years and over is 250mcg per litre of breath; the blood-alcohol limit is 50mg per 100ml of blood; and zero for drivers under 20.

shawn.mcavinue@odt.co.nz

Drink-driving

Results of a anti-drink-driving operation on three nights in Dunedin between August 18 and 20.

• Police stopped 3011 motorists at five compulsory breath-test sites and also did random city breath tests.

• 11 drivers apprehended for drink-driving — six at checkpoints and five at random stops.

• Two of the drivers’ breath-alcohol levels were between 250mcg-400mcg.

• Nine drivers were apprehended with more than 400mcg.

• The highest reading was almost four times the legal limit.

• Nine of the 11 drivers apprehended were men.

• Two of those apprehended were under 20.

• Two cars were impounded as they were driven by a disqualified driver and a forbidden driver.