Mornington Peninsula Shire camera call to catch dangerous jet skiers
SECURITY cameras targeting dangerous jet skiers flouting water safety laws could be installed at a popular swimming hotspot on the Mornington Peninsula.
South East
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SURVEILLANCE cameras on Rye pier could be used to nab dangerous jet ski riders.
Mornington Peninsula Shire Mayor Bryan Payne said the council was calling for CCTV cameras to be installed to catch jet skis riders flouting exclusion zones and speed restrictions.
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Cr Payne said a recent council report showed Parks Victoria, Water Police and Marine Safety Victoria were unable to adequately police law-breakers on shire beaches zooming into swimming zones and exceeding the 5-knot speed limit.
“As one of the largest areas for swimming, boating, fishing and water sports, the Mornington Peninsula is facing more pressure in coping with Melbourne’s rapidly growing population and increased use of personal watercraft and jet skis,” he said.
The council has not discussed who would pay for the cameras or be responsible for monitoring them.
Rye Community Group Alliance chair Mechelle Cheers said installing the cameras would help tackle the “major problem”.
“I think it’s certainly a start with bringing some sort of control to the volume of out-of-control jet skiers we see down here every summer,” Ms Cheers said.
She said jet ski riders frequently went into the swimming only side of the pier, and also came close to divers.
“There have been some near misses,” she said.
“You would hope (the cameras) would act as a deterrent.”
The group presented a petition with more than 4500 signatures earlier in the year to Premier Daniel Andrews calling for jet skis to be banned between Rye and Point Nepean National Park.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said CCTV systems were “highly beneficial for police”.
The spokeswoman said a massive amount of planning went into the police response to manage the influx of visitors to the Peninsula during summer.
“This includes the deployment of additional police resources onto the Peninsula,” she said.
“Water Police also regularly patrol popular locations over the summer months and jet ski behaviour will continue to be a key focus this year.”
During Maritime Safety Victoria’s ‘Ride Right’ summer campaign, more than 100 personal watercraft riders were fined in a crackdown assisted by police officers.
Breach of speed and distance rules leads to a $317 fine while riding an unregistered craft or riding unlicensed can cost $793.
If a speed and distance rule offence, or operating unlicensed, is successfully prosecuted, the court may impose up to $3171 for each offence.
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