❓ The Minister for Police and Emergency Services reports on the success of the 2004 anti-hoon legislation, highlighting vehicle confiscations and demographic data of offenders, while also criticising the Liberal Party's amendments to the legislation.
AnsweredQoN 119Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
This question is close to my heart and the heart of people in my electorate. Will the minister inform the house about the results of the innovative anti-hoon legislation introduced by the Gallop government in 2004? Mrs M.H. ROBERTS
AnswerView source ↗
The Police Service has been working very successfully to target hoons and those people involved in hoon-style behaviour in our suburbs and in the regions. Since the legislation came into effect on 4 September last year, members of the Police Service have confiscated some 256 vehicles, evenly split between metropolitan and country areas. I am pleased that police in regional Western Australia have taken at least as strong a focus towards cracking down on the hoons and the hooning behaviour as has been the case in the metropolitan area, with 50 per cent of the offences occurring in the metropolitan area and 50 per cent of the cars being impounded in regional Western Australia. The police have also been very positive in the way they have targeted this group of people who are a menace on our streets and in our suburbs in metropolitan and regional Western Australia because of their hooning behaviour, which endangers other people’s lives. We are also targeting a group of road users who feature too often in road crashes and road trauma. People under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our road fatalities; they are vastly over-represented. Nearly 80 per cent of the 256 vehicles that have been impounded were being driven by individuals under the age of 25 years. We are certainly targeting young people, and young men in particular. A 47-year-old male has also been apprehended, and I think a 15 or 16-year-old girl, but there were nine women only among the 256. That shows a clear demographic of the people who are offending with hooning behaviour. I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: The Police Service has been working very successfully to target hoons and those people involved in hoon-style behaviour in our suburbs and in the regions. Since the legislation came into effect on 4 September last year, members of the Police Service have confiscated some 256 vehicles, evenly split between metropolitan and country areas. I am pleased that police in regional Western Australia have taken at least as strong a focus towards cracking down on the hoons and the hooning behaviour as has been the case in the metropolitan area, with 50 per cent of the offences occurring in the metropolitan area and 50 per cent of the cars being impounded in regional Western Australia. The police have also been very positive in the way they have targeted this group of people who are a menace on our streets and in our suburbs in metropolitan and regional Western Australia because of their hooning behaviour, which endangers other people’s lives. We are also targeting a group of road users who feature too often in road crashes and road trauma. People under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our road fatalities; they are vastly over-represented. Nearly 80 per cent of the 256 vehicles that have been impounded were being driven by individuals under the age of 25 years. We are certainly targeting young people, and young men in particular. A 47-year-old male has also been apprehended, and I think a 15 or 16-year-old girl, but there were nine women only among the 256. That shows a clear demographic of the people who are offending with hooning behaviour. I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
The Police Service has been working very successfully to target hoons and those people involved in hoon-style behaviour in our suburbs and in the regions. Since the legislation came into effect on 4 September last year, members of the Police Service have confiscated some 256 vehicles, evenly split between metropolitan and country areas. I am pleased that police in regional Western Australia have taken at least as strong a focus towards cracking down on the hoons and the hooning behaviour as has been the case in the metropolitan area, with 50 per cent of the offences occurring in the metropolitan area and 50 per cent of the cars being impounded in regional Western Australia. The police have also been very positive in the way they have targeted this group of people who are a menace on our streets and in our suburbs in metropolitan and regional Western Australia because of their hooning behaviour, which endangers other people’s lives. We are also targeting a group of road users who feature too often in road crashes and road trauma. People under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our road fatalities; they are vastly over-represented. Nearly 80 per cent of the 256 vehicles that have been impounded were being driven by individuals under the age of 25 years. We are certainly targeting young people, and young men in particular. A 47-year-old male has also been apprehended, and I think a 15 or 16-year-old girl, but there were nine women only among the 256. That shows a clear demographic of the people who are offending with hooning behaviour. I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
Mrs M.H. ROBERTS replied: The Police Service has been working very successfully to target hoons and those people involved in hoon-style behaviour in our suburbs and in the regions. Since the legislation came into effect on 4 September last year, members of the Police Service have confiscated some 256 vehicles, evenly split between metropolitan and country areas. I am pleased that police in regional Western Australia have taken at least as strong a focus towards cracking down on the hoons and the hooning behaviour as has been the case in the metropolitan area, with 50 per cent of the offences occurring in the metropolitan area and 50 per cent of the cars being impounded in regional Western Australia. The police have also been very positive in the way they have targeted this group of people who are a menace on our streets and in our suburbs in metropolitan and regional Western Australia because of their hooning behaviour, which endangers other people’s lives. We are also targeting a group of road users who feature too often in road crashes and road trauma. People under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our road fatalities; they are vastly over-represented. Nearly 80 per cent of the 256 vehicles that have been impounded were being driven by individuals under the age of 25 years. We are certainly targeting young people, and young men in particular. A 47-year-old male has also been apprehended, and I think a 15 or 16-year-old girl, but there were nine women only among the 256. That shows a clear demographic of the people who are offending with hooning behaviour. I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
The Police Service has been working very successfully to target hoons and those people involved in hoon-style behaviour in our suburbs and in the regions. Since the legislation came into effect on 4 September last year, members of the Police Service have confiscated some 256 vehicles, evenly split between metropolitan and country areas. I am pleased that police in regional Western Australia have taken at least as strong a focus towards cracking down on the hoons and the hooning behaviour as has been the case in the metropolitan area, with 50 per cent of the offences occurring in the metropolitan area and 50 per cent of the cars being impounded in regional Western Australia. The police have also been very positive in the way they have targeted this group of people who are a menace on our streets and in our suburbs in metropolitan and regional Western Australia because of their hooning behaviour, which endangers other people’s lives. We are also targeting a group of road users who feature too often in road crashes and road trauma. People under the age of 25 account for about one-third of our road fatalities; they are vastly over-represented. Nearly 80 per cent of the 256 vehicles that have been impounded were being driven by individuals under the age of 25 years. We are certainly targeting young people, and young men in particular. A 47-year-old male has also been apprehended, and I think a 15 or 16-year-old girl, but there were nine women only among the 256. That shows a clear demographic of the people who are offending with hooning behaviour. I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
I also understand that on 6PR this morning the member for Hillarys said how much better it would be if members of the public could provide sworn statements that were admissible for impounding someone’s car. It was somewhat hypocritical for him to say how good that would be and how the Liberal Party supported it, because the only reason for that not being in place here and now, and the only reason more than double the number of cars have not been impounded since September last year, is the amendments moved by the Liberal Party in the upper house by Hon Peter Foss and Hon Derrick Tomlinson! It was the Liberal Party that removed the provisions from the legislation in the upper house that would have allowed evidence from members of the public to count. I also point out that when cars are impounded from young people, many of them also lose their driver’s licence. When they are charged with hooning behaviour they are often charged with speeding, or reckless or dangerous driving offences. The drivers often lose their licences for three or six months at the same time. The cars are impounded for 48 hours in the first instance; up to three months in the second instance; and, in the third instance, vehicles can be forfeited. I am pleased to say that, as an indicator of this legislation working, only one person has been caught for a second offence. Hopefully, people are getting the short, sharp message.
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