LNP makes $10,000 Mount Lofty anti-hooning election pledge

One part of Toowoomba has seen an increase in hooning and drug dealing. Now one politcial candidate wants to do something about that.

CONCERNED: Reg Thompson and Trevor Watts want to see hooning end.

Residents at Mount Lofty have seen an increase of hooning and drug dealing at the top of the lookout, Toowoomba North LNP MP Trevor Watts has claimed.

“It’s been reported many times,” Mr Watts said.

“What we want to do is help activate the community so they could work together and drive this kind of behaviour out of this area.”

Mr Watts has promised $10,000 to a local neighbourhood watch group to help combat those issues, if the LNP is elected to government come October 31.

“Neighbourhood watch fosters safer communities through community connection,” he said.

“The investment will help reduce the rate of crime in our community through education and the development of safety resources for residents.”

Mr Watts said neighbourhood watches were a safety initiative that enhanced partnerships between the community and local police.

Local resident Reg Thompson has lived in the area for over a decade and said hoons regularly woke him up at night.

“It’s been going on for the whole 15 years I’ve lived here, but in the last couple of years it has become very bad,” he said.

“Everybody in this area, either side of Mount Lofty, is complaining about it.

“The police are hamstrung because they often don’t catch them doing the hooning.”

Mr Thompson said he would join a local neighbourhood watch group the moment it was set up.

Mr Watts’ commitment comes as Toowoomba South MP David Janetzki made a similar commitment for earlier in the state election campaign.

Mr Janetzki said neighbourhood watch groups around Harristown, Kearneys Spring, South Toowoomba and similar areas would share in $10,000.