Temporary screens to be installed on Southern Expressway to stop rock throwing attacks

TEMPORARY screens will be installed on bridges along the Southern Expressway to prevent rock throwing attacks in the area as three more incidents bring the total past 40.

• Secret report revealed rock risk a year ago
• Three more drivers targeted by rock throwers
• Police target rock throwers on Southern Expressway

TEMPORARY screens will be installed on bridges along the Southern Expressway to prevent rock throwing attacks in the area.

The State Government has announced installation of the screens will begin in three weeks and will take about two months to complete, weather permitting.

It comes after another three rock throwing incidents were reported on Monday, bringing the number of reported attacks to an unprecedented 43 this year.

The latest incident happened just after 6pm on Monday when an object struck the left passenger door of a car travelling towards Sugar Bush Rd footbridge on the Southern Expressway.

No one was seen in the area at the time and no items were found on the roadway. There were no injuries and the car was not damaged.

A driver travelling north of the expressway near Poznan Path Footbridge at Hackham West reported seeing a white object fall onto the road about 6.30am.

In the second incident, a motorist driving south on the thoroughfare at Reynella reported that an object hit the undercarriage of his car.

No one was injured and the cars were not damaged.

Police are investigating both incidents.

Meanwhile, Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said the temporary screens would be installed on bridges that currently have no barriers as part of a range of initiatives being rolled out to ”prevent this disgusting behaviour and keep South Australians safe on our roads”.

“The State Government takes this issue extremely seriously and the installation of temporary throw screens will help keep motorists safe until permanent screens are installed,” Mr Knoll said

“The installation of throw screens will occur alongside CCTV camera upgrades and the installation of mesh and fencing over and around rock embankments along the Southern Expressway.”

Mr Knoll said upgraded CCTV cameras had already been installed and were operational at the Flaxmill Rd and Beach Rd bridges and further upgrades along the thoroughfare would continue to be delivered.

“The installation of mesh over loose rocks near the Honeypot Road bridge has been completed and will now begin at the Beach Road bridge,” he said.

“Bridges have also been numbered to make reporting of alleged instances to SAPOL easier.”

Police have also increased patrols in the area to deter rock throwers and catch culprits.

The additional measures come after The Advertiser today revealed that almost all Southern Expressway overpasses assessed in a secret Transport Department review early last year were found to be at “high risk” of rock throwing incidents.

Mr Knoll is now demanding answers from the Opposition, which was in power at the time of the report.

“It is absolutely unacceptable that the then Labor Government knew these bridges were high risk and failed to act and install throw screens,” he said.

“Peter Malinauskas must demand answers from former Minister Mullighan about why this report wasn’t acted on and why throw screens weren’t installed 16 months ago.”

In response to the spate of rock throwing attacks, the Opposition on June 5 called on the government to adopt its “Six-point immediate action plan”, which included the installation of temporary fencing, to tackle the issue.

Some of the bridges, both pedestrian and vehicle, along the Southern Expressway are already covered. Picture: Dean Martin

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas today welcomed the Government’s decision to erect temporary fencing.

“But there’s more to do — There isn’t one solution to fix this problem,” he said.

Mr Malinauskas also said “given the Liberals have started adopting elements of Labor’s Immediate Action Plan, they should implement the remaining five (measures)”.

These measures included declaring the Southern Expressway a protective security area so Protective Security Guards could be deployed.

It also included installing high-powered lighting in low-lit areas, removing built up vegetation, increasing rewards for the arrest and conviction of offenders to $50,000 and doubling the maximum penalty for rock throwing to 10 years’ jail.

SA Best MP Frank Pangallo said the Government should “really seriously” consider introducing a mandatory minimum jail term of one year for cases of rock throwing — and possibly longer if someone was injured.

Mr Pangallo said the courts were required to prioritise rehabilitation of young offenders but “we need to be tougher”.

“We need to get tough,” he said.

“There needs to be a deterrent. If kids come to the realisation that they could go to jail for a year if they’re caught, I think their likely to think twice about it.”

Mr Pangallo said if children living in state care were involved in rock throwing their government carers should be given more power to detain them in secured state-run homes.

However, Child Protection Minister Rachel Sanderson’s office said she had not, as of Saturday, been advised by her department of any cases involving children in state care.

A police spokesman said anyone with information about rock throwing incidents should report it immediately.

“Any motorist who experiences damage to their car while driving and believe this has been a deliberate act by another person are asked to stop their vehicle when safe and contact the Police immediately on Triple-0,” he said.