Hooning on rise yet seizures fall

THE number of cars being impounded or plates confiscated has fallen dramatically despite an upsurge in hooning.

Under the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act officers have the ability to seize vehicles or confiscate plates for offences including performing burnouts, evading police, speeding or drink driving.

Figures provided by the Queensland Police Service show the measures were used in the southeast region just 515 times in the seven months since the start of the financial year until the end of January.

If current trends continue, that puts police on track to use the powers a little less than 900 times this financial year.

That would be a significant decrease on the 2020-21 figure of 1224, which itself was a 25 per cent drop on the 1648 recorded in 2019-20 and 1657 in 2018-19.

Surfers Paradise MP JohnPaul Langbroek said he was constantly being contacted by residents angered by hooning and more confiscation of vehicles was needed.

“The deterrent effect of confiscating vehicles, I believe and most of the public believes, would be very effective,” he said.

“But we’re just not seeing it. “There are more vehicles now than there were three or four years ago. We know there’s more offending, so we need more confiscations to send a message.”

The Bulletin has documented an upsurge in hooning activities in a number of northern Gold Coast suburbs.

Revheads have caused chaos in Pimpama and at an Arundel industrial estate, performing burnouts, stealing tyres and damaging property.

Local residents say a street in Woongoolba has been turned into a racetrack.

Mr Langbroek said part of the problem had been the use of police resources at the border and Covid quarantine hotels.

VEHICLE SEIZURES SOUTH EAST REGION 2018-19: 1657.

2019-20: 1648. 2020-21: 1224.

2021-22: (July-jan): 515. Source: Queensland

Police Service