Council puts brake on hoon line

GREATER Dandenong residents made 106 calls to dob in hoon drivers in the 18 months the city paid for a dedicated Hoon Hotline.
The City of Greater Dandenong this week cancelled its Hoon Hotline service in favour of the statewide Crime Stoppers number, 1800 333 000.
Dandenong Ward councillor Jim Memeti prompted council directors to reveal the usage figures in order to illustrate his belief that the service was not worth running.
A council officer’s report recommended the service be cancelled and residents notified that Crime Stoppers was now accepting the same inquiries on the one, easier-to-remember phone number. But engineering services director Tim Tamlin reminded residents that the best number to call for an immediate police response was 000.
The cancelled Hoon Hotline and its Crime Stoppers alternative will not illicit a prompt police response. The information is instead collated and given to local police to help them target areas where hoon driving is most prevalent. Anyone who wants to report hoon driving can phone Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or if the concern is of an urgent nature dial 000.