Stettler and area residents should be ready to stop this holiday season as Alberta RCMP, Alberta Sheriffs and local police services hold CheckStops in December, including this Saturday, Dec. 3.

The random and unannounced CheckStops will be part of the police’s initiatives to ensure everyone enjoys a safe holiday season, according to an RCMP press release.

“Having a CheckStop Blitz in early December provides a very visible reminder that the RCMP, with the help of the Alberta Sheriffs, will be out on the roads throughout the holiday season on the lookout for impaired drivers,” Insp. Steve Daley, acting officer-in-charge of Alberta RCMP Traffic Services, said in the press release.

From Jan. 1 through Oct. 31 of this year, the Alberta RCMP have charged 3,836 adults and 44 young persons with impaired driving, which include 11 adults charged with “Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle Causing Death” and another 29 charged with “Impaired Operation of a Motor Vehicle Causing Bodily Harm.”

According to RCMP, these numbers are expected to increase upon conclusion of ongoing impaired driving investigations and they are hoping the CheckStop Blitz will keep the numbers in check.

For more on local law enforcement news, check out the Stettler Independent’s RCMP report from this week’s paper.