Residents in the quiet Coastal town of Forth have sniffed the distinctive stink of burning rubber in the air on recent Sunday afternoons.
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One resident, who did not wish to be named, saw smoke drifting up the valley from the township last Sunday and put two and two together.
"There was a beautiful calm day; not a breath of wind. I wondered where the smoke was coming from and it was a bikie sitting there revving with the brakes on.
"They all ... lay a bit of rubber pretty much every Sunday. It's a common occurrence."
He is just one of a number of residents who have complained about hoons and unsafe driving around Forth Hill and the Braddons Lookout.
Their unease was raised with the Central Coast Council by the Forth community representative committee, prompting the council to take it up with the community safety partnership, which includes the Tasmania Police.
The Tasmania Police's acting Inspector Stewart Williams said hooning was taken extremely seriously.
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"At times, the sporadic and immediate nature of hooning offences does make it difficult to 'catch them in the act', however if members of the public are able to obtain video footage (without putting themselves at risk) or provide statements to police, these will be followed up.
"There have been a very limited number of reports of hooning in the Forth area, and these do not highlight a significant over-representation of incidents around the North-West."
I wondered where the smoke was coming from and it was a bikie sitting there revving with the brakes on.
- Forth resident
He noted hooning had fallen off during the COVID lockdown, with complaints now about the same as before.
He advised the public to contact the Police day or night if they saw or heard hooning.
"Police may not always be in a position to respond immediately, or they may be right around the corner. If we don't get called, we won't know.
"Reporting when it occurs rather than the next day or through social media is the best way for police to locate the offenders quickly."
Acting Inspector Williams said the public could help the Police if they provided as much information as possible such as the:
- make and colour of the car
- number and description of occupants
- registration of the vehicle
- any distinguishing features of the vehicle or the occupants
- direction the vehicle left the area
- any video or photographic evidence.
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Leah McBey
As a southern New Zealander I love island life. So Tassie was an obvious choice after living in North America, Europe and the Pacific Islands. I've done a bit of everything but communication is the motif threading through my life.
As a southern New Zealander I love island life. So Tassie was an obvious choice after living in North America, Europe and the Pacific Islands. I've done a bit of everything but communication is the motif threading through my life.
