Gold Coast tinnie rats give cameras the thumps up when pulled over by water police

THIS smiling teenager is the face of the Gold Coast’s tinnie rat epidemic. This is the moment he gives the thumbs up as water police nab the young boy on the city’s waterways.

WATER police officers sergeant Tony Nelson and constable Craig Brown are about 15 minutes into a patrol when they receive reports of five teenagers driving tinnies dangerously through Surfers Paradise.

“Look at that, reports of five tinnies hooning at Macintosh Island, splashing each other and trying to flood each other’s boats,” said Sgt Nelson when reports from canal-front residents show up on the pair’s iPad yesterday.

With juveniles speeding and driving dangerously the No. 1 complaint Gold Coast Water Police receive, the Gold Coast Bulletin went on a ‘joy ride’ to see what it’s like dealing with tinnie hoons.

POLICE HAUL TINNIE HOONS INTO COURT

Water police sergeant Tony Nelson directs teenagers towards shore at Macintosh Island. Picture: Mike Batterham.

Driving dangerously through the city’s unique network of canals at high speeds, tinnie hoons cause thousands of complaints annually with an increase in calls during school holidays and on weekends.

Wash from their boats also causes the erosion of riverbanks and damage to moored vessels in some areas which infuriates homeowners. About 95 per cent of hoons are teen boys.

Shortly after receiving the calls, two teens are spotted spraying each other by doing flick turns in their small dinghies in the Nerang River. The others appear to have left.

A tinnie hoon gives the ‘thumbs up’ after being pulled over. Picture: Mike Batterham.

The officers switch on the blue lights and the police boat roars into action. The boys try to drive off but it’s too late.

Sgt Nelson stands on the bow and directs the duo into shore, immediately recognising a 14-year-old boy he pulled over a day earlier.

As they pull their tinnies on to shore one of the boys spots a Bulletinphotographer and waves.

“I spoke to you yesterday, that was the first time you had been spoken to by the water police and now it’s two in two days,” Sgt Nelson tells one of the teens.

“How long do you think you’re going to have your boat for? Not very long if you’re going to keep this up.”

Sargent Tony Nelson questions tinnie hoons. Picture: Mike Batterham.

Police have taken a tough-love stance on Gold Coast waterways after a two month blitz in December and January with Operation Whitewater and a handful of boats have been impounded.

Sgt Nelson then turns his questioning to the second boy who waved. The boy rattles off his boat registration without looking at his boat like he’s done it before. It’s a red flag. The teen is a repeat offender.

The teen gives the camera a thumbs up while Sgt Nelson checks the police database and finds the boy had been pulled over for speeding two months ago and in 2016 and 2015.

He tells Sgt Nelson he was aware of front page Bulletin reports last week detailing a waterways crack down and he decided to drive his boat fast because it was ‘fun’.

The young tinnie hoon gives a ‘thumbs up’ while being questioned by police. Picture: Mike Batterham.

It’s the point where Sgt Nelson dresses them down: “it causes a lot of issues where we’ve got our bosses, the public, people in Parliament, they’re all telling us what are you going to do about these kids on the tinnies?”

“I’ve got better things I’d rather do but because you two want to have fun you’re causing all of us headaches.

“How do we stop you doing it? Stop putting yourselves and others at risk.”

Sgt Nelson said because they had both received informal warnings from police they are now being delt with under the Youth Justice Act and have been served with juvenile caution notices.

He said the boys will now be offered the opportunity to work with police in boat safety education programs.

“If they refuse, they will come before the Children’s Court,” Sgt Nelson said.