Police officers are letting suspects including drink-drivers go free after custody suite closures have left them facing 60-mile journeys to fingerprint and charge them Offenders in Berwick-upon-Tweed have to be hauled a 63 miles to Newcastle Fears that confining officers to cars means they are not out fighting crime One police officer in Bristol has said 'we are taxi drivers who sit in traffic' By Jack Elsom For Mailonline Published: 14:22 BST, 5 May 2019 | Updated: 14:22 BST, 5 May 2019 Viewcomments Suspected criminals are reportedly avoiding arrest because mammoth drives to police stations are too much of a hassle and often make pressing charges impossible. Officers are having to let drink-drivers go free because their blood alcohol level drops below the legal limit by the time they are taken into custody, meaning they cannot be prosecuted. Offenders in Berwick-upon-Tweed in Northumberland have to be hauled a staggering 63 miles to Newcastle upon Tyne or 65 miles to Wallsend to have DNA swabs taken or be charged. Officers are having to let drink-drivers go free because their blood alcohol level drops below the legal limit by the time they are taken into custody, meaning they cannot be prosecuted (stock image) And in Tywyn, north Wales, which involves a 64-mile drive to either Wrexham or Caernarfon, suspects are also routinely freed because of the long journey times, a police source told the Sunday Times. Mark Jones, general secretary of the North Wales Police Federation, said: 'It could be that somebody warrants arrest, but due to the distance they have to go, officers are having to reconsider.' Closures of local police stations are blamed for the monumental driving distances and Federation members reportedly believe that the reduction in these sites have caused a drop in the number of arrests, despite an increase in overall crime rates. For example, a drink-driver in Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, was arrested when he was 1.5 times in excess of the legal limit. Suspected criminals are reportedly avoiding arrest because mammoth drives to police stations are too much of a hassle and often make pressing charges impossible (stock image) But, on arrival at a Stoke-on-Trent station 30 miles away, his alcohol level had plummeted to a safe level and the charges could not be pressed. Another problem highlighted by police chiefs is that, by confining officers to cars, they are not out on the streets fighting crime. Ché Donald, national vice-chairman of the Police Federation, said: 'This can take the officers off the streets for long periods of time.' And a Bristol officer, officer who has to drive roughly 10 miles to the nearest station, said: 'We are taxi drivers now.' 'We spend hours sitting in traffic. It's like saying everyone arrested in London has to go to Potters Bar to be charged.' Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site dailymail and under his responsibility