The state government’s dob-in-a-hoon hotline has been slammed by Hume councillor Jack Medcraft for being all bark and no bite.
“How many prosecutions do we get?” Cr Medcraft asked at last week’s council meeting. “Where’s the bite here?’
“The courts let them off,” he said. “We need to start crunching their cars.”
Cr Medcraft said hoon drivers were wasting time, money and energy.
“It wrecks people’s way of life,” he contended, citing a number of areas around Sunbury where black rubber (like these pictured) from car tyres had left permanent marks on the bitumen.
Cr Helen Patsikatheodorou said Hopetoun Court, off Mickleham Road, in Westmeadows, was another example.
“The court is black with tyre marks,” she said.
Asked if it was possible to have council vehicles mounted with static cameras to photograph hooning drivers, city infrastructure director Steve Crawley said councils were not responsible for “moving vehicles” and would be “crossing the line” of police responsibility.
Cr Medcraft then urged people to film hoon drivers with their mobile phones. “If police have film footage, they will prosecute,” he said.
Cr Medcraft’s motion to seek more information from the government about the success or otherwise of the dob-in-a-hoon campaign was supported by his fellow councillors.
According to Crime Stoppers’ website, the identity of a hoon driver, location of hoon driving and description of vehicles involved (make, model, colour, registration number) can be reported anonymously.
» Contact the Crime Stoppers Hoon Hotline on 1800 333 000 or report incidents atvic.crimestoppers.com.au
