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Stirling named and shamed as one of Perth’s worst hoon suburbs

Kate LeaverStirling Times

STIRLING has been named and shamed as one of WA’s worst hoon suburbs with 19 cars seized since January.

Scarborough officer in charge Glenn Dowding said it was important to take into account Stirling’s proximity to the freeway.

“Any suburbs with a freeway running through them, they are going to see more incidents of hooning,” he said.

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“Forty-five km over the speed limit is classed as hooning so this is more likely to happen near the freeway.

“I haven’t noted a particularly large amount of hoon complaints in the area.”

Police Minister Liza Harvey said new hoon laws introduced to State Parliament last week , could order permanent vehicle confiscation on a first offence if a driver hooned in a school or suburban street.

“The new laws mean if you put our schoolchildren and residents in danger with your childish and reckless driving, you could lose your car for good,” she said.

“After the 28-day impoundment, the owner has three weeks to collect the vehicle or it’s gone and the surplus money will be deposited into the Road Trauma Trust Account.

“Forty-nine days is plenty of time for an owner to organise collection of their vehicle.”

Mrs Harvey said the new laws would also give police the power to seize unlicensed motorcycles such as trail bikes if they reasonably suspected they had been illegally ridden on the road.

“This will help address increasing complaints about the danger, noise and disruption caused by unlicensed, and mostly unroadworthy, trail bikes being illegally ridden on our roads,” she said.

Some of the worst hoon suburbs:

(Based on hoon car seizures January-May)

Willetton – 20

Stirling -19

Forrestdale – 19

Innaloo -14

Kenwick – 13

Mirrabooka – 10

Total hoon car seizures for WA January-May: 804

-In 2015, WA Police impounded 2,028 vehicles for hoon offences

-Currently about 1,700 hoon and no authority to drive vehicles are awaiting collection

-Illegal trail bike complaints have increased 90 per cent over the past three years