Eye on crime

Hooning has no place in society but there are steps which can be taken to tackle the issue

Hooning is a blight on the community and the suburbs where petrol heads go and engage in their particular brand of “fun”. From creating noise pollution and littering streets with the burnt rubber to property damage and traffic disruption, there’s plenty of problems which cause headaches for those whose homes are hotspots.

Now, residents and workers at northern Gold Coast industrial estates at Arundel and Molendinar are too scared to leave their properties as hoons smoke the streets with burnouts.

While hooning and dealing with those responsible is a matter for police, it has now become an election issue heading into Saturday’s council poll.

Divisions 2 and 7 candidates Naomi Fowler and Joe Wilkinson are both campaigning on the topic, which they say is raised frequently by ratepayers.

“The community is sick of hearing and seeing hoons misuse our roads. This reckless driving poses a significant threat to the safety of both road users and pedestrians,” Mr Wilkinson said.

“High speeds, aggressive manoeuvres, and a blatant disregard for traffic rules are not acceptable on our roads. This type of behaviour can lead to accidents, causing injuries or even fatalities.”

Few would disagree with his sentiment, nor Mr Wilkinson’s calls for more CCTV cameras.

This is a solution which has seen dramatic results in central and southern suburbs, as well as the coastal strip.

More than 850 security cameras have been installed across the Gold Coast as part of the city’s security network in recent years.

More than 32,000 incidents have been captured on these cameras since 2020, while more than 19,000 pieces of graffiti have been removed.

Mayor Tom Tate in February spoke of their effectiveness after meeting with senior police figures.

“We worked out to build up the number of cameras, and with that footage (we) were able to assist police with the highest conviction rate,” he said. “When (criminals) see full lighting and camera, they tend to not congregate.”

It’s clear the time has come for the northern Gold Coast to join the camera network expansion.

WRITE TO US: Make sure to include your name, address and phone number if verification is required. Only your name and suburb will be printed. Please note we reserve the right to edit letters for reasons such as clarity and length. PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy at https:// preferences.news.com.au/privacy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.