Bendigo police nabbed 17 drink-drivers - the third most in Victoria - as part of Operation Scoreboard at the weekend.
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Operation Scoreboard, a four-day road safety blitz, saw Victoria Police ramp up enforcement with 2054 traffic offences detected and a further 198 offences related to drink- and drug-driving.
Bendigo Highway Patrol Senior Sergeant Ian Brooks said the region's 17 drink-driving offences included six in Bendigo and nine in Echuca.
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He said the spike in people detected drink-driving was a blight on a weekend where most drivers were very good.
"We had a fatality-free operation, which was very good," he said. "There were reduced traffic flows from other years but it was good that people, in the main, were behaving themselves on the roads.
"In saying that, we noticed a not unexpected but unusual spike in people detected drink-driving. There was 17 in our division over the weekend, which across the state puts us third-highest for detection rate.
"It's disappointing to have that many drink-drivers after a three-day operation. We don't want that as an achievement from our point of view and I'm sure the community doesn't want it either."
Senior Sergeant Brooks said there were also two serious-injury crashes in Bendigo and Echuca but people involved in both crashes did not have life threatening injuries.
Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner for Road Policing Glenn Weir thanked Victorians who adhered to the restrictions and enjoyed the AFL grand final from their homes.
"It is extremely disappointing that we continue to catch people undertaking high-risk behaviour on our roads, with more than 2000 offences detected over the weekend - this is totally unacceptable," he said.
"As restrictions ease over the coming weeks across the state, police will continue to be highly visible on Victorian roads and we won't hesitate to remove dangerous drivers and hold motorists to account.
"Whether it's speed, distraction, disobeying road rules, not wearing a seatbelt, fatigue or impairment from alcohol or drugs at play, road trauma can be avoided."
Senior Sergeant Brooks said it was important to remember that even if police resources are stretched thin, officers will not ignore their main functions.
"The message is just because resources are in other areas, Victoria Police is not ignoring its main function," he said. "We still put resources into keeping people safe.
"We put in excess of 250 extra hours on top normal work into road policing (at the weekend) we conducted more than 500 breath tests from the units available.
"It's a pleasing effort from our point of view to have resources and people to do that, it's just disappointing in attitudes some people (on the roads)."
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