A Vancouver police officer, who's been commended for catching hundreds of impaired drivers, says it's a labour of love... because he's seen enough death and destruction to last a lifetime.

Most police officers stop fewer than 20 drunk drivers a year, but over the past two years, constable Brant Arnold-Smith has pulled more than 500 off the road.

"My uncle was also killed by an impaired driver. He was 32 years old up in Terrace, B.C., so I personally have been touched by the crime. I'm in a position where I can make a difference to prevent the loss of life on B.C. roads."

National numbers show about three thousand more drunk drivers were caught in 2011 compared to 2010, but over the past five years, the Lower Mainland's recorded a 40 per cent reduction in alcohol-related fatalities.