Drink and drug driving arrest numbers "horrific" as Essex drivers face "significant" risk
Essex Police recorded 1874 drug driving arrests in 2025
Arrest numbers for drink and drug driving in Essex have been called "horrific" by the Head of Roads Policing, as he says it is an "epidemic" on the county's roads.
Adam Pipe says the issue poses a "significant" risk to drivers in Essex, as 1874 people were arrested for drug driving in 2025.
During Operation Limit, which Essex Police conducted in December, 511 drink and drug drivers were arrested, including one lorry driver that was under the influence of both.
He has called the levels "untenable" and has called on the public to get involved to help fight the issue.
"The arrest numbers were one word. Horrific." said Adam, "I've been with Essex Police in a role linked to roads policing since 2001. This is the highest level of offending I have ever seen, particularly when we talk about drug driving.
"We did four very, very big operations across Southend, Chelmsford, Colchester. In just four days we arrested 114 people from those operations, nearly all of them drug related.
"Now, if I'm a listener to your radio station, I'd be absolutely horrified at that data. You know, the risk that is posed by individuals who are drink and drug driving is so high.
"And what we do know, particularly in the drug space, one in three fatal collisions across the country, the deceased or a person involved in that collision has the presence of cocaine or cannabis.
"So it's it's a bit of an eye opener, it's a bit of a line in the sand, and really for everyone to recognise we have a problem."
307 arrests were made for drug driving in December 2025, the highest number of arrests since January 2017.
Adam said that drugs other than cocaine or cannabis are now being spotted in drivers, as police officers are now being trained to test people at the road-side to gauge their impairment.
"I think it's so widespread. I see arrests every day being made across the whole of the county, on rural roads, on urban roads, on the strategic roads such as the M25 and the A12, the M11, where people are failing roadside drug tests for cocaine or cannabis being present.
"That is an untenable level. We cannot continue like that and it's a bit of a call to arms really for everyone to work together, all stakeholders, all the public, to see if we can break this cycle."
"There is a very high percentage of people who have previous convictions for drink or drug driving.
"We need to enter into the public health space to start looking at ways of removing that individual's dependency on Class A, Class B drugs and driving."
"We have to recognise we have some people that are using our roads at a very high level of risk.
"There is no difference when someone's behind the wheel under the influence of drink or drugs, than it would be for someone who is carrying a weapon down Chelmsford High Street.
"We have to see that level of risk and harm in the same way we would approach seeing someone with a weapon in a high street somewhere in Essex."