Waging war on the Coast’s tinnie rats
WATER police officers sergeant Tony Nelson and constable Craig Brown are about 15 minutes into a patrol when they receive reports of five teenagers driving tinnies dangerously through Surfers Paradise.
“Look at that, reports of five tinnies hooning at Macintosh Island, splashing each other and trying to flood each other’s boats,” said Sgt Nelson when reports from canalfront residents showed up on the pair’s iPad yesterday.
With juveniles driving dangerously the No. 1 complaint Gold Coast Water Police receive, the Bulletin went on a “joy ride” to see what it’s like dealing with tinnie hoons.
Ttinnie hoons cause thousands of complaints annually with an increase in calls during school holidays and on weekends. Wash from their boats also causes the erosion of riverbanks and damage to moored vessels which infuriates homeowners. About 95 per cent of hoons are teen boys.
Shortly after receiving the calls, two teens are spotted spraying each other by doing flick turns in their dinghies in the Nerang River. The others appear to have left.
The officers switch on the blue lights and the police boat roars into action.
The boys try to drive off but it’s too late.
Sgt Nelson stands on the bow and directs the duo into shore, immediately recognising a 14-year-old boy he pulled over a day earlier.
One of the boys spots a Bulletin photographer and waves.
“I spoke to you yesterday, that was the first time you had been spoken to by the water police and now it’s two in two days,” Sgt Nelson tells one of the teens.
“How long do you think you’re going to have your boat for? Not very long if you’re going to keep this up.”
Sgt Nelson then turns his questioning to the second boy who waved. The boy rattles off his boat registration without looking at his boat like he’s done it before. It’s a red flag. The teen is a repeat offender.
The teen gives the camera a thumbs up while Sgt Nelson checks the police database and finds the boy had been pulled over for speeding two months ago and in 2016 and 2015.
He tells Sgt Nelson he was aware of front page Bulletin reports last week detailing a waterways crackdown and he decided to drive his boat fast because it was “fun”. It’s the point where Sgt Nelson dresses them down: “It causes a lot of issues where we’ve got our bosses, the public, people in Parliament, they’re all telling us what are you going to do about these kids on the tinnies?”
“I’ve got better things I’d rather do but because you two want to have fun you’re causing all of us headaches.
“How do we stop you doing it? Stop putting yourselves and others at risk.”
Sgt Nelson said because they had both received informal warnings from police they are now being delt with under the Youth Justice Act and have been served with juvenile caution notices.
He said the boys will now be offered the opportunity to work with police in boat safety education programs.
“If they refuse, they will come before the Children’s Court,” Sgt Nelson said.