He submitted a petition with 99 signatures to the City of Launceston and Tasmania Police, demanding action to get the “intolerable behaviour” under control.

Residents have called for surveillance cameras to be installed at Cupania Street, George Town Road near the Lilydale Road T-junction and at the main access and exit points at Waratah Road and Reservoir Road.

The petition said there was ongoing criminal behaviour, hooning and erratic driving, which put the public at risk. Mr Dean said the issues had caused angst for many who no longer felt safe in their homes.

“It involves anti-social behaviour, nonsense with motor vehicles and if you go into Rocherlea you will see the streets are absolutely blackened with burn-outs and … there have been a number of arsons” he said.

“The frustration is very clearly evident, they are angry, concerned and they believe they are not getting the right response from emergency services and a number of people are banding together to get out of the area, particularly Cupania Street, because they have had enough.”

The cameras would help identify offenders, so those who spoke out did not live in fear of retribution, said Mr Dean. 

“Two members of the public identified incidences where they had spoken to the police and were targeted as a result of that, their houses were stoned, damage was caused to their property and in one instance, a car was stoned causing damage to the windscreen,” he said.