Queensland Police support Hooning!

[69frd]

Queensland Police Support Illegal Hooning

Queensland Police supporting illegal hooning is the only conclusion I can draw from the stupid actions of Queensland Police yesterday.

Leaving a well planned and well managed event at Powercruise yesterday Queensland Police were waiting with the following:

-Breath testing - What a stroke of Genius for an alcohol free event!

-Drug testing - another stroke of genius, car guys can’t afford drugs too poor from paying the rego fees & car part prices!

-Radar guns - Honestly that's why I was on the track to get it out of my system I drove like a baby home pretty much everyone overtaking me!

-Defect vehicle stations - Absolutely unbloody believable, guys doing the right thing and using their cars legally at a properly organised are directly targeted by the Police, the message I got was don’t go and do it legally you are better off taking a risk on the street.

Don’t get me wrong, I generally support the police but in this whoever decided to target Power cruise was a d!@khe@d and is sending a very bad message to the car enthusiast industry.

Nor do I condone unsafe modified cars, but geez guys a time and a place, it should be illegal street stuff you are targeting not guys doing the right thing.

If I sound like I’m ****ed off then you are right, I’m not a young driver and honestly I'd absolutely hate to grow up with the current bull s*@t young kids have to deal with, the fact kids can make it through the adolescent risk taking period with the nanny government not giving them and outlet anywhere its a wonder they all aren't drunk or on drugs.

Well I for one am bloody sick of it you haven't already picked up on my tone, and will be writing to the Police Minister to Complain.

Car enthusiasts are a soft target!

Fact: in 2002 the road toll was 322 people in QLD (8.7 fatalities per 100,000)

Fact in 2009 the road toll was 331 people in QLD, (7.51 fatalities per 100,000)

Fact: in 8 years of hoon laws 20,336 cars have been impounded! and for what gain?

Illegally modified vehicles are nothing like the issue they are being made out to be, this is just an easy vote winner for government and I for one am sick of being a soft target and feeling guilty for driving a modified vehicle, seems to be every time I pick up a paper there’s another anti hoon article.

Top 10 ACTUAL causes for fatal crashes per 2002 report:
1. Inattention
2. Inexperience
3. Alcohol related
4. Illegal Manouvre
5. Failure to stop/give way
6. Fatigue
7. Speed
8. Age of drive
9. Weather conditions
10. Road Conditions

Guess what? nothing in the report about modified vehicle issues yet this is the same year anti hoon legislation was introduced.

In the 2009 Queensland Road toll review guess what the major cause of occupant fatalities was? RESTRAINT USE! this could be determined for 151 vehicle occupant fatalities, that's HALF the road toll! Of the 151 who died 43 weren't even wearing a seat belt.

Come on guys get real start addressing the real issues & start saving lives.

I don’t see Police waiting outside a school to screen everybody coming in case there’s a pedophile in there?, but yet we accept them doing this to us waiting outside car events looking for irresponsible drivers “Hoons”

Well bugger it I've had enough, there must be tens of thousands of car enthusiast's, related businesses and organisations etc if anyone else agrees with me can I suggest you write or email to the Queensland Minister for Police to promote the Car industry as a legitimate hobby and not a soft target for Police to cover the fact they can’t reduce the road toll despite much safer cars now and better roads!

Let him who is without sin cast the first stone, and unless you have a Concourse car, are you sure that wheel/tyre combo/rating is per the tyre placard and that aftermarket steering wheel is ADR compliant?

This is what I will be emailing to the Police Minister & Premier, fell free to copy/paste or modify as you wish, you may think this won’t happen to you and bugger the Hoons but I believe we are all being tared with the same brush whether it be a $85,000 Mustang or an old Commodore in primer, despite both of these of these probably being slower than a sports Camry!

Anyone with a Boost cruising forum account or similar other Forums these were the guys most affected so feel fee to copy & paste to post on these as well.


The Hon Neil Roberts MP, Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services; I wish to complain of the use of Police resources to target lawful car events for no measurable gain, specifically the use of extensive Police resources to target vehicles leaving Power cruise on Sunday the 29/08/2010.

This sends the WRONG message to people attending legal car events, now rather than lawfully using these events it seems its better to run the risk on the street with Police targeting those trying to do the right thing at correctly organised events rather than addressing the real road safety issues.

The impounding of 20,000+ vehicles over the past 8 years utilising anti hoon legislation has not decreased the road toll from 2002 levels

The aftermarket car industry is a substantial employer in Queensland and I would request the Queensland Government support the aftermarket car industry and organised events such as Powercruise rather than simply seeing these as a soft target for Police action to cover the fact of an unchanging road toll which has nothing to do with the car enthusiasts.


police@ministerial.qld.gov.au

thepremier@premiers.qld.gov.au

[mcnews]

Makes the grannys and wowsers that read the paper feel good while giving the politicians an impression of trying to make a difference etc. Your reasoning is sound. Send it to your local member and the police minister. So should everyone involved. The only way to get your voice heard in the right places is through contacting the politicians. Also of course get in touch with your local newspaper etc. if you feel energised.

[FPV8U]

Breath and Drug testing should never be looked down upon, but directly targeting cars entered is definetly sending the wrong message to those paying to do the right thing.

[LTDHO]

They have to bee seen bu 'Joe Public' that they are doing the right thing.

[futura97]

Where's the problem? Don't break the law and you're fine. Didn't actually see anywhere in there how police are supporting hooning on the streets...

[69frd]

I think you miss the point, its the specific targeting of car enthusiasts I object to, the police has a vehicle compliance check point set up on the way out stop & defect cars.

Everything 100% legal on the Futura?

[flappist]

How can you see this as a bad thing?

There is publib/media hype about "hoons".
The Police ran an operation targeting a professionally organised gathering of car enthusiasts and basically came up empty.

The logical conclusion is that these people are NOT hoons.

I would like to see this repeated several times as eventually the message may get through.

Of course the message will be "There is not enough revinue to be made from targeting professionally organised car events" which is rather sad really.

And as a side note, your naivety futura97 is quite amusing. To think that you belive that just because you are not ACTUALLY breaking the law that you will not be harrassed or charged is laughable.

If everyone who was charged was guilty we would not need a court system would we?

[GTP owner]

Originally Posted by futura97

Where's the problem? Don't break the law and you're fine. Didn't actually see anywhere in there how police are supporting hooning on the streets...

Ivory tower type thinking is ignorant and arrogant. You don't see police doing mass screenings after a Jehovah's Witness convention, or after a state bowls club dinner. The modified car sector is seen as an easy soft target, but as is pointed out - it makes no difference to the road toll.

I spent yesterday in an ambulance as a learning exercise for my med course. We did 150km/h down the highway, screeched tyres around roundabouts, went though red-lights etc etc. You know what? If speeding killed and squeeling tyres killed, I should be underground by now.

[Scott]

Whilst I agree for the most part with the OP - there is a glaring oddity in the list of causes of Fatal Crashes - since when [or how] is "Age of Driver" a cause of an accident?

[|||]

its funny because these police operations encourage people to make their cars more illegal than they would otherwise be. i was at PC at the weekend and every year i notice more "registered" cars being trailered to the event.

its to the point now that it's pretty unlikely that you will be pulled over by the police and defected in your local street. they just dont have the resources. it is now extremely likely that you will be targeted at summernats, powercruise etc. so what happens is that people build "illegal" cars for these events safe in the knowledge that the only time they are likely to encounter a defect station is when the car is safely on a trailer.

more "illegal" cars being built & less cars off the road as the cops only target those silly enough to drive to the event.

[Brazen]

You gotta wonder how the young people of today will regard police as they get older. When I was young it felt like a totally different relationship with the police, now it seems its an 'us against them' type of thing. The young people in my equestrian club who are by and large really good kids from good families seem to universally hate or dislike the police. I dont think they are any less respectful than my generation (they are a lot more mature, kind and charitable than what I was at their age!), rather I think that their encounters with the police are probably a lot more negative than the ones that I had when young.


When I was young I remember sharing a beer with a local copper on the side of the road when he pulled my Escort out of a ditch with his XD Highway Patrol car. Or getting the thumbs-up from a passing copper when I was revving the crap out of my brand-spankin new XE at the local shops to impress my mates. Haha good times.

[cameroncoulston]

i say well done to you mate! would be interesting to see what sort of response they come up with because it is pretty petty of them. and this i guess is one easy way for the government to try and make up for anna's debt

[chevypower]

@69frd, I totally agree with what you said. You guys shouldn't have been targeted, but should have been highlighted for doing a good thing. So I think there is a better/smarter way for you to deal with the issue than ranting about it. I think you or the people organizing the event should work with the police to promote what you guys do well. It would have been better if you guys had of known about it before hand, rather than be targeted. So if they are present, even just to make sure everything is safe, and so they can report the positives of such events to the media. Then it's a win/win for everyone. I would try that before trying any negative attention. Just my thoughts. Get the police involved. Get the media involved! The key word there is INVOLVED!

[Jim Goose]

Hmm.. oddley enough during a recent cruise ina country town my illegally modded car along with other entrants were allowed under Police escort to drive through town without permits. ( I even asked the copper and he was fine with it)

Yes right here in QLD...

[69frd]

. I think you or the people organizing the event should work with the police to promote what you guys do well. It would have been better if you guys had of known about it before hand, rather than be targeted

Completely agree, a posite appproach by including the Police would be much more beneficial, I've emailed the organisers about this as well.

[irlewy86]

Originally Posted by futura97

Where's the problem? Don't break the law and you're fine. Didn't actually see anywhere in there how police are supporting hooning on the streets...

Qld Police have a well known game called "Are your battery cables correctly clamped." Essentially to test the compliance of your car they take both cables in each hand and shake, if they wiggle loose you'll be fined. Funny thing is though there is no determined amount of force or length of time that the test can run for.

Any car can be defected.

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by futura97

Where's the problem? Don't break the law and you're fine. Didn't actually see anywhere in there how police are supporting hooning on the streets...

There is a point to OP and you missed it by 500klms.

[The Monty]

Although I do see it as a kick in the face to us, we bring it all upon ourselves. I have been to many many drag events, drift events, race days at Willowbank, and I can gaurantee there is at least a handful of people drifting, doing donuts, doing burnouts at the entrants to Champions way or Racing down the double lanes as you leave.
Also I still cant understand how people can complain when there old car with cheese cutters on the front, blowers through the bonnet, and stockos on the back (Im not saying this is how they usually drive them, but at powercruise, deffinately) can have a whinge when they get busted for illegally modded cars. And noise pollution.
If you dont want to be hassled, tow your car there. And dont ever whinge about RBT's and random breath testing.

[aussie muscle]

i'd doubt you'll get a response emailing them. type it out in letter style and post it to them. they are obliged to respond.

[big_landau]

best way to take your car to an event like this nowdays is to tow in on a trailer in a 100% stock car and remove the plates and sticker from the car on the trailer,you can always put the plates/sticker back on when your inside.this is the only way to go now or you will just keep getting hassled.i have no dramas with rbt's or drug testing as its a good thing.

[Scott]

Originally Posted by The Monty

If you dont want to be hassled, tow your car there. And dont ever whinge about RBT's and random breath testing.

You missed the boat too eh?

[Jim Goose]

The harassment may or may not be random.

Events held this year in Townsville, Rockhampton or Charters Towers were not targeted in any way. However a car show a bit further north is targeted every year because every year it gets out of hand, with burn outs etc on public streets etc....

A written letter to the local state member to ask why that particular powercruise was targeted when other events are not would be an idea. I daresay it was done for "politics" or being seen in force and more then likely the request came from someone somewhere.

Was there any drama last year is the next question?

The fact that Police found nothing wrong is something which also needs to highlighted.

[The Monty]

Originally Posted by GTP006

You missed the boat too eh?

I dont think I did, I covered the rest of the OP's concerns in the unquoted part of my post ;)
And if your talking about the point that its a no alcohol event, I still think they should target it, closet drinkers will always be closet drinkers, and thus being a huge concern to road safety. Just like setting up an RBT outside a church, sure its alcohol free, and they arent likely to drink but I can gaurantee a closet drinker in there somewhere.

[jaytyn]

I don't see an issue with it.

[Revolver]

Originally Posted by 69frd

Queensland Police Support Illegal Hooning

Queensland Police supporting illegal hooning is the only conclusion I can draw from the stupid actions of Queensland Police yesterday.

Im sorry??

Originally Posted by flappist

How can you see this as a bad thing?

There is publib/media hype about "hoons".
The Police ran an operation targeting a professionally organised gathering of car enthusiasts and basically came up empty.

The logical conclusion is that these people are NOT hoons.

If everyone who was charged was guilty we would not need a court system would we?

Flappist has pointed out that legitimate street machiners/car enthusiasts, whatever you wish to call us/them, are generally a well behaved bunch & are for the most part law abiding. Whether it be road rules, or road worthiness. There are some exceptions. Dont get me wrong. We should be thanking the QPS for doing that. it just proves that we arent the culprits for this entrenched dogma. Its the minority that wrecks it for the rest of us.

However I fail to see the corrolation of how this supports "hooning", which is in itself, ss a VERY broad area for interpretation by those on the frontline.

Originally Posted by 69frd

Leaving a well planned and well managed event at Powercruise yesterday Queensland Police were waiting with the following:

-Breath testing - What a stroke of Genius for an alcohol free event!

Breath testing? At an alcohol free event? I did hear that they were testing drinks as you enter the event. By serveral sources, entrants, & a security guard. Now Im not sure if they were searching cars. Logic would say yes. However there are one or two in every crowd that are crafty enough to get around this sort of thing:

Originally Posted by The Monty

if your talking about the point that its a no alcohol event, I still think they should target it, closet drinkers will always be closet drinkers, and thus being a huge concern to road safety. Just like setting up an RBT outside a church, sure its alcohol free, and they arent likely to drink but I can gaurantee a closet drinker in there somewhere.

Originally Posted by 69frd

-Drug testing - another stroke of genius, car guys can’t afford drugs too poor from paying the rego fees & car part prices!

This is now SOP after breath testing. Now while I am 100% with you on rego/insurance/petrol prices. Tell me how do you know that any of those people DONT have the money left over for anything else after these expenses? Just because you or the people you know & enjoy your cars with dont have money to buy drugs (even though they may not use them), doesnt mean the next crowd doesn't either. I know of a couple of guys who have a small collection of cars, & are nowhere near short of dollar. Its called investments.

Originally Posted by 69frd

-Radar guns - Honestly that's why I was on the track to get it out of my system I drove like a baby home pretty much everyone overtaking me!

Another Niave statement. I have mentioned on a number of threads that I work at one of the three sevos on the Cunnigham Highway on the way to Willowbank. I work two shifts a weekend. You don't know how many cars went past at a speed at least 10 above the limit, the exauhst note & rate at which they went past was astonishing. These were Subaru's, Skyline's, Holden's, Ford's, Mopar's, anything & everything. Quite frankly they should of had a speed camera operating. They would have gotten quite a few. So im not sorry. Im fully on side wth the QPS on that one. Like I said, just because you dont, doesn't mean everyone else doesn't either.... Not to mention Ive never heard that many lock-ups from hot entrys onto the site in one weekend as I did this weekend. Not even last year was there that many.

Originally Posted by 69frd

-Defect vehicle stations - Absolutely unbloody believable, guys doing the right thing and using their cars legally at a properly organised are directly targeted by the Police, the message I got was don’t go and do it legally you are better off taking a risk on the street.

Once again, I'm sorry? You came to this conclusion how? Not logically obviously. Definitely emotionally. Now I can certaily understand that this is making your blood boil. It would mine, but only because your doing the right thing. Refer to the previous two rebuttals for on this. Some poeple take the chance & think they wont be caught.

Its been pointed out here:

Originally Posted by The Monty

Although I do see it as a kick in the face to us, we bring it all upon ourselves. I have been to many many drag events, drift events, race days at Willowbank, and I can gaurantee there is at least a handful of people drifting, doing donuts, doing burnouts at the entrants to Champions way or Racing down the double lanes as you leave.

Or at the servo after they just bought pertol/smokes/drinks & dicided to give it a bootful on the forecourt/on they're way out of the drive way.

Originally Posted by The Monty

Also I still cant understand how people can complain when there old car with cheese cutters on the front, blowers through the bonnet, and stockos on the back (Im not saying this is how they usually drive them, but at powercruise, definitely) can have a whinge when they get busted for illegally modded cars. And noise pollution.
If you dont want to be hassled, tow your car there. And dont ever whinge about RBT's and random breath testing.

I suggest not sending that email just yet. Cool down & look at it logically & not getting all rilled up about it. Like I said, I can understand why you are, but looking at it logically, no.

BBII

[82XD393.3v]

they did the same thing at the easter nats a couple of years back pulled over people towing there cars out on trailers and defecting them if they had registration and where unroad worthy or had non compliant modifications

[Road Games]

Originally Posted by The Monty

I dont think I did, I covered the rest of the OP's concerns in the unquoted part of my post ;)
And if your talking about the point that its a no alcohol event, I still think they should target it, closet drinkers will always be closet drinkers, and thus being a huge concern to road safety. Just like setting up an RBT outside a church, sure its alcohol free, and they arent likely to drink but I can gaurantee a closet drinker in there somewhere.

It was as far from an alcohol free event as you could get mate !!!!

I still have pics from wed nights line up at Willowbank i haven't published , because i dont want my vehicle damaged next time i'm up there...
And you may think i am stereotyping but i'm not at all , every car pulled over sat night was a commodore .. not a mazda with a V8 or a nissan with 6 x turbos and a couple of NOS bottles , simple old white commos with 20"s on the front skids on the rear and overloaded with teenage wanna be Schumachers....
For this reason alone , bj777 and I fully support whatever action the force takes ..
Because i for one dont want my pride and joy taken out by a random who's tyres are about to explode from showing off all weekend

We drove home in a 700hp F6 at or near the speed limit (mostly under) straight past the RBT on Champions Way, also past 7 x booked commos ... and believe it or not on usually the busiest night for street racing through the 'Stains' not one radar all the way back home to the Gold Coast !!!

Sorry we didn't pick you up on the way through Josh but there wasn't any room as we brought the kids along

[mrbaxr6t]

what the op is saying is it is unfair of the police to target a motorsport type event, yes if dropkicks leave the venue and do dumb things on the way in or out then if the cops catch you you deserve to be fined etc.. but to have cops actively target entrants of the easternats or some other auto event is just nasty - I remember one year @ easternats they had a roadworthy testing station 500mts either side of the entrance to sandown raceway on the princes hwy and guess what didn't have an entrant sticker on your car you were waved on through regardless of the condition of your car, got the sticker you got pulled over and had to wait and wait and wait for the cops to check your car over... all the while cars are trundling down the highway some of which are clearly unroadworthy blowing smoke exhaust leaks clearly audible, but their focus is on entrants this targeting of a minority group by authorities is unfair and unjust. Hopefully those that don't get it will now get it..

[Revolver]

Oh No I got it, but do you think that the cops in the red XR6 highway patrol car that was doing the passes up & down the Cunningham were JUST trageting PC attendees? I doubt it... The police bike pulled over another car at the point where the centenary finishes at the lights where it intersects ipswich-boonah road. A good 10km away from PC late sunday afternoon.

Also, with that presence there, that sort of people stay away from that event, because they know that there are always will be cops checking for these cars/people. Whats wrong with that. Maybe they were even requested to do this checking, to send the message from the organisers, that PC is not a hoon-fest, & hat the event is for the family for legitmate enthusiasts.

[Road Games]

Originally Posted by Blue Beast II

Oh No I got it, but do you think that the cops in the red XR6 highway patrol car that was doing the passes up & down the Cunningham were JUST trageting PC attendees? I doubt it... The police bike pulled over another car at the point where the centenary finishes at the lights where it intersects ipswich-boonah road. A good 10km away from PC late sunday afternoon.

Also, with that presence there, that sort of people stay away from that event, because they know that there are always will be cops checking for these cars/people. Whats wrong with that. Maybe they were even requested to do this checking, to send the message from the organisers, that PC is not a hoon-fest, & hat the event is for the family for legitmate enthusiasts.

Rep heading your way ....