The final day of the year is a time for celebration around the world as people reflect on the year that was and the possibilities of what could happen over the next 365 days.

Many choose to celebrate together with family and friends, and coming up with a plan to start the new year responsibly can sometimes be overlooked.

Impaired driving in general has been heavily targeted by police and RCMP in Saskatchewan recently, and as of January 1st, 2017 there are STRICTER CONSEQUENCES for those caught driving while under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

For the Estevan Police Service, New Years' Eve is another one of those nights each year that their presence on the streets is increased with a greater likelihood of trouble on the roads.

But for the most part, this holiday season was very encouraging as officers had very little to deal with on Saturday night.

"We had increased traffic stops looking for impaired drivers and performed roadside screening device checks with many vehicles," explains EPS Sergeant Tyler McMillen. "Several vehicles had designated drivers which was great to see, including many with younger people doing some favours and driving siblings and parents around."

"That's nice to see that they are learning a good example and doing the right thing."

Sgt. McMillen added that they noticed some people who typically don't get a chance to go out and celebrate around, and it was good to see that they were able to have a good time and had a plan for a safe ride home.

ONE MALE CHARGED WITH IMPAIRED DRIVING

Unfortunately, it wasn't a perfect night as around 4:00am on Sunday morning the EPS arrested and charged one male with impaired driving.

"We noticed a taxi pulled up to a parked vehicle at an establishment that was closed for the night, which was suspicious as taxi's typically don't make stops at places like that are closed, especially at that time of the night," adds Sgt. McMillen.

"Two men were spoken to and advised not to drive. They told officers that they had a local hotel room to stay in, which police found a little off-the-wall too. And about 15 minutes later, officers noticed the vehicle was mobile."

One man from Kisbey was charged with impaired driving and faces charges of impaired driving and exceeding the legal limit of .08. He has been released for a future court date.

The passenger in the vehicle, who was the owner, has lost his vehicle for 30 days as per the existing laws governing impaired driving.

Sgt. McMillen noted that no vehicles were stopped that were in violation of the new laws for impaired driving on New Years' Eve.

************************************

In a separate incident from January 1st, EPS was called to a reported incident of mischief in the downtown core of Estevan.

Several paint cans had been thrown against a garage in the alley on the 1100 block between 3rd and 4th street.

Anyone with information on the incident are asked to contact the Estevan Police Service or Crimestoppers.