Traffic police nab suspected car thief and two drunk drivers

Traffic police appeared to have a quiet time on Christmas Day but booked several offenders in the early hours of Sunday, they said.

As part of checks in the early hours, a 27-year-old man was arrested after being caught driving a car.

At around 1.30 am, Paphos traffic officers stopped the vehicle driven by the 27-year-old who failed to produce a licence and proof of insurance. He also tested positive for drugs.

Police established that the car had been stolen between 9pm and 1.30am on Christmas while it was parked outside the owner’s residence.

During other traffic checks, police located two people drunk driving in the Famagusta area after a minor accident in which no one was injured but a 37-year-old was found to be four times over the limit while driving. He was charged and released and is due in court on Monday.

In a second drink driving incident, a 25-year-old resident of Larnaca was found driving 12 times the limit with an expired student driver’s license and without insurance.

The car was stopped during a routine check along the Limassol-Nicosia highway just after midnight. A breathalyser test showed he had 109mg of alcohol in his system compared to the 9mg allowed for learner drivers and 22mg for qualified motorists.