Regina police use new system to catch drunk drivers

Regina police officers are changing the way they track down drunk drivers in the city and it's already making a difference, officials say.

A few months ago, they decided to get rid of checkstops, which they call static enforcement, and instead go mobile.

Checkstops are not only time consuming, but are red flags for people trying to avoid being stopped, especially with people posting checkstop locations on social media sites.

Now officers are working hand-in-hand with Report Impaired Drivers, a program that encourages other drivers to call if they suspect there's an impaired driver on the road.

Police have a handful of cars that are roaming the city each night, with the goal of finding drunk drivers.

With the new system, Regina police have charged 103 people with impaired driving in December of last year alone.

In Saskatoon, where officers are still using checkstops, 37 impaired drivers were charged in December.

The department in Regina said the sample size may be small so far, but the roaming system will be the way they do things for a while.