Cops hide to target hooning

POLICE are hiding in bushes, up trees and on roofs with hitech “night vision” cameras to covertly film hoons, catching up with drivers later at their homes or workplaces.

Hoons have been warned there is a “better-than-average” chance they are being watched when they gather in industrial areas to do burnouts and drive dangerously.

Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus said the new ultralow-light cameras, rolled out this year, were proving effective at helping police identify drivers who break the law.

“There are the police that you can see and the police that you can’t see – and we make no apologies for that,” he said.

“You go to a hoon meeting and (break the law) and you think that you’ve got away with it, there’s a better-than-average chance that you haven’t.

“We just haven’t caught up with you yet.”

Police are also making use of new legislation that puts the onus on the registered owner of a vehicle to prove who was driving. For offences such as hooning or drag racing, the owner is deemed to have been the driver unless they can prove otherwise.