A SERIAL drink-driver had his car taken from him after being caught drunk at the wheel of his car for the third time.
The 26-year-old male was caught at 1am last Sunday in Blackburn Road, Bathgate for driving whilst
drunk.
He appeared at Livingston Sheriff Court on Monday where a warrant for seizure of his vehicle was granted.
It is the first time that a vehicle has been seized in these circumstances in West Lothian.
It comes in the same week local police urged car owners to take measures to prevent themselves falling victim to vehicle crime, following a recent rise in thefts in the area.
Operation Firestone – an auto crime initiative with officers from Lothian and Borders Police – is providing advice on how to stop vehicle break-ins.
A police spokesman said: "Operation Firestone has been launched in response to a recent rise in the number of incidents in West Lothian where vehicles have been broken into and valuables stolen.
"We will be focusing our efforts on educating people on what they can do to prevent this from happening by distributing information and advice in areas where we have received calls about vehicle crime.
"We will also be adopting a range of enforcement measures which are intended to identify those offenders whose activities are causing misery to vehicle owners in our local communities.
"Vehicle crime is an issue where the public can play their part, either by taking steps to prevent such crimes from happening in the first place, or by providing information to the police that can help identify offenders."
Officers will distribute information leaflets in areas where reports of car crime have been rife, leaflet homes, and use a Bluetooth transmission device to target mobile phones with crime prevention advice.
The police activity will be supplemented by a robust enforcement strategy, which will see police target repeat offenders, as well as plain-clothes officers on patrol in "hot spot" areas.
Officers from the Roads Policing Unit will also be carrying out high-visibility mobile patrols and road checks throughout West Lothian, supported by their counterparts in Strathclyde Police and Central Scotland Police.
Anyone with information on vehicle crime in their area should contact police on 0131 311 3131, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
