Enhancing capacity of drink driving enforcement in Vietnam

Between July and September 2012 in five provinces in Vietnam, Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) continued to enhance the capacity of traffic police to enforce drink driving. This work was undertaken within the Bloomberg Philanthropies funded Road Safety in Ten Countries (RS10) programme.

The traffic police training programmes included practical operation of breathalyzers, practical observations and the management of drink drive check points. The training programmes were facilitated by Ray Shuey, one of GRSP’s Road Policing Specialists, along with Police Lieutenant-Colonel, Le Xuan Duc, from the Rail-Road Traffic Police Administration (C67), Ministry of Public Security.

In total, more than 250 road traffic police commanders and operational traffic police officers were trained, and upon completion of the training, commanders and officers were able to demonstrate enhanced knowledge of good practice drink driving interventions and the practical application of enforcement. They were also better able to plan operations and identify performance measures for programme and operational success.

The safer check points were set up in compliance with three key principles: efficiency, effectiveness and safety. They were also established with banners and/or drink driving signs to add elements of public awareness and education to the operation. This was the first time in Vietnam where traffic police have operated check points in this manner resulting in clear increases in efficiency, effectiveness and safety. This will serve as a model for future police enforcement operations.

Pictured: A safe check point in Bac Ninh