Tasmania Police has activated more than 30 new drones, worth $860,000, to combat anti-social hooning behaviour in the state.
Police say the new technology will help them pursue offenders in remote and inaccessible terrain, where traditional methods ‘may fail’.
Minister for Police, Fire and Emergency Management, Felix Ellis, says the investment is part of the government’s efforts ‘to give police the resources they need’ to catch offenders.
“Hooning is an enormous menace to Tasmanians and at worst it can have devastating consequences in our communities,” he said.
“Having an eye in the sky that can detect and follow hoons helps Tasmania Police to catch and prosecute offenders.”
The drones are equipped with heat mapping technology, which allows them to follow suspects even when there is significant tree coverage.
According to Minister Ellis, the drones have already completed more than 1,400 operations, including assisting with search and rescue operations, taking observations of crime or crash scenes and helping to prosecute offenders.
The crackdown on hooning has already seen the clamping of 164 vehicles and the confiscation of 404 across the state.
Police are now progressing several investigations as a result of recent road safety blitzes and operations using the new drone technology.
Minister Ellis encouraged members of the public to report any hooning behaviour they witness to police immediately on 131 444 or Crime Stoppers Tasmania.
“Providing information like the location, registration number and vehicle description gives police the best chance of being able to stop hooning quickly,” he said.
“Dashcam footage or CCTV can be uploaded to the police website evidence portal or sent to Crime Stoppers at any time.”
