A new program encouraging people to phone the police about suspected drunk drivers appears to be paying off, the Regina police says.

In September and October, Regina police received 331 calls under the Report Impaired Drivers campaign, the Regina Police Service says.

Those calls resulted in 12 arrests and 114 letters being sent to registered owners of suspected vehicles, police spokeswoman Elizabeth Popowich said.

"It really has paid off in the sense that we've had more calls into the call centre," she said.

The letter informs the owners that, according to a witness, the vehicle was being driven in an erratic manner at a certain time and place.

It also says the witness suspected the vehicle was being operated by an impaired driver.

The letter also says it won't result in a mark against the owner's driving record and it is intended only to make the person aware of this situation.

"There is nothing required of the registered owner who receives the letter but they do have the option to contact us if they have a comment or question," Popowich said.

While the number of arrests is small compared to the 130 impaired driving cases detected over the same period through regular enforcement, it's still 12 more drivers they might not have caught otherwise, Popowich said. "There's not always a car available to go and apprehend the driver when the phone call comes in, but we have had some luck in that part of the enforcement as well," she said.

Right now, the RID program exists only in Regina and Saskatoon, but other municipalities are looking into launching their own versions.