Anti-social hooning behaviour will not be tolerated in Tasmania, which is why the Rockliff Liberal Government has invested heavily in giving police the resources they need to catch offenders.
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, said giving police access to the latest technology was important to keep our community safe.
“Hooning is an enormous menace to Tasmanians and at worst it can have devastating consequences in our communities,” he said.
“Having an eye in the sky that can detect and follow hoons helps Tasmania Police to catch and prosecute offenders. This includes clamping 164 vehicles and confiscating 404 across the state.
“That is why the Rockliff Liberal Government has provided $860,000 to Tasmania Police for drones that can pursue offenders through remote and normally inaccessible terrain. Even when there is significant tree coverage, the drones can continue to follow offenders through heat mapping.”
Tasmania Police now has more than 30 drones that have completed more than 1,400 operations.
“Using these drones also assists in taking observations of crime or crash scenes and assisting with search and rescue operations,” Minister Ellis said.
“And as a result of recent road safety blitzes and operations using drones, police are progressing several investigations to prosecute offenders.
“I encourage anyone who witnesses hooning to contact police immediately on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania. Report to police what you see in person or on social media.
“Providing information like the location, registration number and vehicle description gives police the best chance of being able to stop hooning quickly. Dashcam footage or CCTV can be uploaded to the police website evidence portal or sent to Crime Stoppers at any time.”
“The Rockliff Liberal Government has invested over $730 million into Tasmania Police to ensure that we remain tough on crime to keep our community safe. This behaviour won’t be tolerated.”
More Media Releases from Felix Ellis
More Media Releases from the Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management