Ten people were arrested during a crackdown on hoon trail bike riders in a targeted SAPOL operation that also slapped lawbreakers with more than 65 defect and expiation notices in Adelaide's northern suburbs.
Operation Rubber was established to focus on dangerous motorcycle use in the north, running between 13 November and 19 December last year, resulting in:
- 10 people arrested.
- 8 people reported.
- 3 vehicles impounded.
- 40 vehicles issued defect notices.
- 27 expiation notices issued.
Minister for Police Vincent Tarzia said hoon riding and driving can have life-ending consequences.
"Hoon behaviour is despicable and has no place on our roads or in our parks," Minister Tarzia said.
"The Marshall Liberal Government is dedicated to road safety and delivered on its 2018 election promise to establish the Traffic Watch App – a vital tool at the fingertips of the community to dob in hoons 24/7.
"We have provided more than $170 million in extra funding to SAPOL since 2018, which includes $18.6m for Stage 2 of the District Policing Model, strengthening SAPOL's ability to police the local community and deliver positive results as seen in Operation Rubber.
"Hoons have no place on our streets. We will continue working hand in glove with SAPOL to get the job done."
The success of Operation Rubber contributed to another huge drop in South Australia's overall crime rate with 20,528 fewer crimes committed over 12 months (January 2020 to December 2020) when compared to the same period a decade ago.
The release of SAPOL's December crime statistics today again expose Labor's struggles to reduce crime, but more importantly highlight the leadership of the Marshall Government to keep South Australia safe and strong.
The statistics highlight an enormous fall in Total Offences Against Property – a decrease of 17,913 crimes – while Aggravated Robbery offences dropped 26%.
Further reduction was seen in Theft and Related Offences (11,403 crimes), Serious Criminal Trespass fell by almost 4,000 incidents, Dangerous and Negligent Acts had a 53% dive, and Assaults Against Police fell 21%.
"The Marshall Government is also the first South Australian Government to directly fund Crime Stoppers with more than $800,000. We want to stop criminal activity and we encourage the community to be vigilant, look out for each other and pick up the phone if you see something suspicious," Minister Tarzia said.
Total Offences Against the Person increased slightly by 4%, but is a result of legislative and system changes to the recording of particular offences within the category. It does not reflect an actual increase in offending.
