Canberrans will be more likely to see random breath testing and police on the roads in peak hours in an ACT Policing push to be more visible in the Territory.
Chief Police Officer Deputy Commissioner Scott Lee said there had been random breath testing operations in Belconnen and Civic recently, but motorists were likely to see even more in the coming months.
"I want more of that and our members are committed to that," Deputy Commissioner Lee told ABC Canberra.
The head of ACT Policing said he wanted officers to be present on the main arterial roads leading into Canberra during the morning and afternoons to take action on poor driving behaviours.
Deputy Commissioner Lee said he was also working to bolster the numbers and experience within the ACT ranks.
He said there were currently just under 1300 people, made up of officers within ACT Policing and specialist resources purchased from other parts of the AFP.
Last year's police annual report shows there were 731 sworn police officers to serve a population of more than 466,000 residents.
The federal police union called for the ACT government to add 126 additional police officers over three years instead of over five years, as in the latest budget.
Australian Federal Police Association president Alex Caruana said many ACT patrol zones operated on minimum strength, increasing risk of injuries for officers who were already struggling to rest and be fit for duty.
ACT Policing added 177 officer to their ranks in 2022-23, but in the same period 180 police officers transfer out of ACT Policing to AFP national or careers outside the AFP.
ACT officers have recently been deployed to Samoa, Tonga, Timor Leste the Paris Olympics and Victoria.
Deputy Commissioner Lee said the number of ACT police officers going to other jurisdictions within Australia and overseas through the Australian Federal Police will halve in coming years.
"Last year... we had quite a large percentage of ACT policing... move into the broader AFP. Now I've worked with my colleagues to reset that workforce planning target, right, and basically halve it," he said.
"So that means we can allow people to take up the opportunities in the broader AFP but do that in a way that's manageable for the ACT community."
Deputy Commissioner Lee said ACT Policing was doing a recruitment and training push for sergeants.
"We need about 70 per cent of our sergeants at the moment, we need to fill those positions permanently.
"So that'll be a combination of people within ACT Policing where we give our members that promotion and opportunity, but we're also expecting will bring a bit of experience back in from the broader AFP as well."
He said he would work with the new ACT government to secure funding and resources for the police.
He said he was disappointed that organisers of the Canberra SpringOUT Pride Festival in November were not allowing police participate.
"We're working with the organiser around what other opportunities there are for us in other festivals, even including where we're participating in and sponsoring the ACT rugby veterans pride matches in November. We've put in place a new LGBTQIA+ liaison officer to work with that community," he said.
"We obviously need to build a strong connection, build trust, so that there is that support for police to be present."
