Drink driver takes goat on 'date'

I've heard of some far-fetched excuses to avoid punishment before but in all my years of crime-fighting this one really takes the biscuit!

A 54-year-old farmer in Poland was three times over the drink drive limit when he was stopped by police. As the police officers approached his vehicle they noticed an usual figure sitting in the passenger seat....his goat!

When the police started questioning the farmer he claimed that the goat had been feeling 'lonely' of late and so he'd taken the wee fella to a neighbouring farm to go on a 'date' with a female goat.

Who says romance is dead eh?!

Apparently the goats really hit it off and the man admitted to sipping a few vodkas to celebrate. What wasn't a cause for celebration though was the fact that he lost his license and may well face jail for drink driving.

That'll serve him right for all that 'kidding' around!

Crimestoppers launches summer drink driving campaign in Channel Islands

Drivers in Jersey are being reminded that drink driving is unacceptable as Crimestoppers in both Jersey and Guernsey launch a summer awareness campaign.

The awareness campaign also has the support of the States of Jersey Police and actor, Sean Arnold. I used to watch Sean in the detective series 'Bergerac' years ago playing the part of Inspector Crozier.

My friends at Jersey Crimestoppers have told me that so far this year, just over 100 drivers have been arrested on suspicion of drink driving and the figures from previous years show that the number of arrests climbs into several 100 year in, year out.

It's believed that there could be a hard core of people, who know drink driving is wrong, dangerous and illegal but are still prepared to take the risk, maybe because they think they won’t get caught. So Crimestoppers is taking action!

Watch the film: Don't let them get away with it.

What has the world come to when binge drinkers are called martyrs?

A police chief in China has claimed that one of his officers, who died after a drinking session with him at a banquet, is a martyr because he died in the line of duty.

Lo escandaloso – what a scandal! The police chief made the claim so that the man’s relatives would be eligible for more compensation. They would apparently be entitled to $95,000 if their dead relative was hailed a martyr.

It’s a sad fact that alcohol poisoning in China is not uncommon. What’s more, there have been several instances reported of similar deaths at other government-funded banquets. Nevertheless, I believe that it is entirely wrong for the authorities to call a man a martyr after dying in such circumstances, however sad or awful. Surely that is not only condoning drinking while on duty, but glamorising it as well?

I personally never drink while on duty, nor while riding my horse, Gonzo - and would urge others to follow my example. Apparently, there are 50 times more deaths every year from drinking in the UK than there are from illegal drugs. Drink-driving is also a particular problem at this time of year.

Por favor mi amigos – enjoy your sangria in moderation and take responsibility for your actions. And if you know someone who’s a drink-driver – contact Crimestoppers anonymously before they hurt themselves or someone else.

Feliz Navidad – Merry Christmas my friends and be safe.

A Halloween costume I won't be trying

I always find the week after Halloween a little sad, as it means it will be another year before the next one comes around. I love thinking up witty and original costumes and love spotting costume trends. Now that Halloween has passed, the only costume trend I'll be seeing is Santa suits and they're not my style.

This week I read an article in the paper about a man who took his quest to find an original Halloween costume too far...

James Miller, a student from Ohio, USA, went out for Halloween dressed up as a breathalyser. While wearing his costume James proceeded to drink and then drive home the wrong way down a one way street. Police stopped and used a real breathalyser on James to discover he was well over the limit. Looking at a photo of James, you can see that he was definitely in no state to be driving a car.

It's lucky the police caught James before he had an accident - drink driving is a crime for good reason, it is dangerous and irresponsible.

In the six months to September, Crimestoppers received nearly 3,000 calls about drink drivers.
Rates of drink-driving tend to go up in the months leading up to Christmas. This festive season make sure you not only watch your alcohol consumption if you are driving, but also be aware that there might be dangerous drivers on the road.