Queensland has turned to the community in a bid to catch hoon drivers.
The Palaszczuk Government and Queensland Police have announced they will punish alleged hoon drivers, using video or photos uploaded by the public to the new Policelink online portal.
It says the program is a “world first”.
“Queenslanders can now dob in a hoon by uploading dashcam vision or pics to Queensland Police,” Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said in a social media post.
Once footage has been uploaded and the car has been identified, the owner of that car must prove they weren’t driving to avoid being punished – as is currently the case with speeding fines issued by speed cameras.
Queensland Police said the technology has been used “for a matter of weeks and already the community has responded providing police with critical pieces of evidence”.
“The support and cooperation of the community is very important to police work, and this upload capability provides another significant way in which members of the public can assist police,” said Assistant Commissioner Ben Marcus, Road Policing and Regional Support Command
“It is important to note that this web-based platform for collecting evidence also meets the Queensland Police Services’ stringent cybersecurity guidelines and is also used for storing police Body Worn Camera footage.”
Fines for breaking hoon laws in Queensland range between $2757 for “driving in a way that makes unnecessary noise or smoke”, and $5338 or six months in prison for careless driving or street racing.
Queensland Police also has the power to impound hoon cars, or confiscate and crush vehicles for repeat offenders.
Offences that fall under the state’s hoon laws include evading police, driving an unregistered vehicle, exceeding the speed limit by more than 40km/h, driving an illegally modified vehicle, or drink driving with a BAC above 0.15.
Drivers prosecuted for more serious Type 1 offences can immediately have their car impounded for up to 90 days, while lower-level Type 2 offenders will have their vehicle impounded for seven days on their second offence, and 90 days on their third offence.
The company behind the Queensland Police reporting system, Axon, also supplies the Metropolitan Police in London, and the Los Angeles Police Department.
