WA Labor vows to introduce jail time for ‘posting and boasting’ in hoon crackdown

Police would be empowered to prosecute hoons under proposed “post and boast” laws, which would see those found guilty of capturing and circulating the activity online face up to two years’ jail.

Premier Roger Cook revealed WA Labor would introduce new laws criminalising the circulation of videos showing hooning, violence, property damage and other criminal behaviour, if re-elected in March as part of a $22.5 million community safety package.

Roger Cook revealed WA Labor would introduce new laws criminalising the circulation of videos showing hooning, if re-elected in March.Credit: Composite image: Cameron Myles.

Under the crackdown, Labor would also increase penalties on reckless speeding, make it easier for police to impound vehicles, and trial the use of noise-activated cameras in hoon hotspots to help identify offenders.

The cameras are set to be installed at more than 60 locations, including coastal entertainment precincts at Hillarys, Scarborough and Mindarie in Perth’s north.

“This is a serious response to an important issue, an important issue about safety in our community, and we’ll stop at nothing to make sure that we make we allow Western Australians to feel safe in their homes, in their communities and on their streets,” Cook said.

“Glorifying criminal behaviour on social media is simply not good enough, and these new laws will actually crack down and make sure that we are sending a clear message to the community and to the thugs, the idiots and the hoons that seek to glorify this sort of criminal behaviour that it’s just not on, and we’ll be throwing the book at you.”

The state’s current hoon laws cap out at 40 kilometres above the speed limit, with those caught exceeding the speed limit by that amount or more losing seven demerit points and facing up to $1200 in fines.

The new laws would see additional tiers added alongside harsher penalties for offenders.

The announcement comes just days after the assault of a police officer outside Optus Stadium was circulated on social media, something Police Minister Paul Papalia said would be deemed a criminal offence under the new laws.

Labor has also pledged to strengthen protections for retail workers by allowing them to bar violent customers — on top of the state government’s retail assault legislation — and roll out more surveillance under a $1 million CCTV program.

Papalia rejected suggestions the retail barring orders were copied from the WA Liberal Party’s Workplace Protection Orders plan, insisting it was the product of advocacy from the Retail Association of Australia.

He said the pledge served as a warning.

“This is a message. If you’re going to film somebody committing a crime and then post it and boast it on social media, you’ll be tracked down and prosecuted,” he said.

Police spokesperson Peter Collier branded WA Labor’s community safety package an “insulting”, “piecemeal” policy.Credit: Jesinta Burton.

But the WA Liberal Party slammed the announcement, with police spokesperson Peter Collier accusing the Labor Party of turning a blind eye to the issue for the past four years and branding the policy “inadequate and insulting”.

Collier reinforced the merits of the Liberals’ own crime and policing plan, which would see 300 frontline officers on the streets through overtime at a cost of $118 million.

“[WA Labor’s plan] is a piecemeal piece of policy which, quite frankly, is insulting,” he said.

“There’s a dramatic difference between what we’re doing and what [WA Labor] is doing —we’re doing what should be done by putting more police officers on the streets and the WA Labor Party is tinkering around the edges.

“I’d be staggered if they don’t follow suit.”

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