POLICE have laid charges, issued fines and impounded vehicles for hooning related incidents at Wellington Point Recreation Reserve.
It is a win for locals, who have long complained about speeding cars waking them up at night and anti-social behaviour plaguing the neighbourhood.
Council had CCTV and automatic number plate recognition cameras installed in June last year to curb the hooning issue.
It came on the back of lobbying from Cr Wendy Boglary and a state government grant worth more than $25,000.
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The ANPR cameras are strategically positioned and function to identify number plates that can help police identify drivers involved in traffic or criminal offences.
Bayside Patrol Group Inspector Lindsay Kilpatrick said the partnership between council and police had been beneficial for all bayside residents.
"Police not only action investigative files such as those reported after the fact, but also proactively patrol all areas within the Bayside Patrol Group, including of course Wellington Point," he said.
Cr Boglary said hoons who visited Wellington Point would be easily identified and could expect police to knock on their door.
"The police, even with stretched resources due to extra COVID duties, have kept Wellington Point Reserve as a priority and I am grateful for their persistence," she said.
"With the council cameras having extremely high face and number plate recognition, there has been an increase in police action which increases the safety for our community."
The police action on hooning should come as good news to local residents, many of whom have told the Redland City Bulletin about their own experiences.
One local, who did not want her name used, said in October that the hooning issue had gotten worse despite the presence of cameras.
Local resident Ben White said in December he would regularly see cars travelling at double the speed limit and had installed CCTV cameras at his property because of the issues he was having.
"At night, from about 6pm to 6.30pm, you can hear the car groups start to turn up at the point," he said.
"There is always guys who do skids and drift in the car park.
"If you want to go and belt your car around, take it to a track, otherwise you stick to the road rules.
"Everyone has as much right to be there as you."
Residents were reminded to continue reporting hooning matters to police and include information like the time of an incident, date and location.
If you witness a hooning incident, report it via the Hoon Hotline on 134 666 or online at forms.police.qld.gov.au/launch/TrafficIncident.
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