Like many Federation members, Jason Jones can attest to the fact policing continues – and sometimes, must even be ramped up – over the festive season. We caught up with him about an initiative helping South Wales Police to make its roads safer over Christmas and into the New Year.

PC Jason Jones is a police alcohol licensing officer (PLO) for the Force. He is tasked with supervising the sale of alcohol and ensuring licensing objectives are met and promoted in premises across the region.

Jason has led a scheme in partnership with many of these businesses to combat drink-driving over successive Christmas periods.

The scheme entitles designated drivers to soft drinks at free or discounted rates, reducing the likelihood of people getting behind the wheel while inebriated at their end of their night.

And while a smaller-scale project rolled out in 2023 proved effective, linking up with 10 to 15 pubs and bars in Cardiff, this year has seen growth to hundreds of collaborations not only in the capital – which has the most licensed premises per square mile in the UK – but in Swansea and The Vale too.

PC Jason Jones.

Jason explained: “Members of the public have been able to enter our partner premises and make it known they are their group’s designated driver – or 'DES' – and receive a wristband in return.

“This wristband then gives them soft drinks either for free or at a discount, depending on the establishment, and as such, encourages responsible drinking with road safety in mind.

“It’s a 360 approach which benefits all involved – us as a force, our partner premises, and of course, the public. A designated driver who sticks to the legal limit helps themselves and the people they are with, and there is a knock-on effect where safer pubs mean safer roads for everyone.”

Party bookings

Promotional efforts for the scheme have included content on South Wales Police social media channels and posters pinned up in businesses, many of which have provided positive feedback to the Force about punters asking for more information and an increase in Christmas party bookings.

Getting the message out that “the customer is just as responsible as the business for their alcohol consumption” has been cornerstone of the initiative’s success, according to Jason.

He continued: “The onus is put on the individual to go up to the bar and tell them they’re a designated driver. It puts it out there, out loud, immediately and from that moment onwards, they can be held accountable by themselves and those around them.

“Obviously, we expect a lot from our establishments too in this respect, but we are a very visible licensing team and this has meant good relationships with many of them.

'Designated Driver' wristbands.

“We have a lot of confidence in our partners to help in the prevention of drink-driving and its consequences.

“Therefore, we also want the public to do their bit by staying aware of the fact that being over the limit and driving a car is never okay, whatever the excuse might be.”

As for the Force, Jason says such an initiative can give cops remaining on duty over the festive season a welcome boost as they continue to do the best jobs possible in the bustling night-time economies of Christmas Eve, Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve.

From his individual perspective as a PLO, he explains, Christmas is always certain to place extra demand on his area of policing, alongside other times of year like summer concert season at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium – the location of the UK’s largest licensed premises, where the Force’s licensing team have been influential in a similar designated driver scheme and other key changes around alcohol sales.

Roads policing

“My job feels like it has that constant production line of new events, venues and occasions to think about. Christmas is one of those times you end up doing even more than usual,” Jason said.

“And even if you don’t feel like you’re doing more, for many officers, you’re are still working at the very least.

"Meanwhile, a lot of the public enjoy time off work – which is great, but the busy environments this creates mean the police have to stay on top of their game.

“So, it’s important we help each other out by gaining any advantage we can. We want our reputation to be that we’re on top of these safety procedures as much as possible, for the sake of the public but also our colleagues.

“With this initiative, that means supporting those especially in roads policing. Christmas is as good a time as any to help others, so safer roads means they win and everybody else wins too."

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