Nearly 100 vehicles have been seized in ten months across metropolitan Melbourne as Victoria Police firmly puts the brakes on some of the state’s most prolific hoons as part of Operation Achilles.
As part of the ongoing state-wide operation, Victoria Police has a relentless focus on holding those inciting, participating in and spectating hoon events to account.
Since the beginning of January across metropolitan Melbourne, Operation Achilles has resulted in:
– 64 arrests
– 53 offenders charged
– 689 charges laid
– 97 vehicles impounded
This strong focus on enforcement has also led to a significant decrease in orchestrated hoon meets across metropolitan Melbourne.
In the past three months (August – October), police have either attended or received reports relating to three organised hoon gatherings across metropolitan Melbourne.
During the same three-month period last year, a total of 36 organised hoon events were recorded across Melbourne, including several large-scale meetings.
While isolated incidents where individuals perform a burnout or skid are very difficult to eradicate completely, police are not seeing the highly concerning and dangerous gatherings of years gone by where scores of cars and spectators congregate.
This week, police across the state have arrested a number of people allegedly connected to hooning, including:
• A 21-year-old Hoppers Crossing man arrested by the North West Metro Achilles Taskforce in relation to a series of high-risk driving incidents. Police allege the man used a friend’s Holden SS Commodore, to perform burnouts at high-risk driving events in Truganina on 7 and 17 July 2021, spinning out of control near spectators that had gathered to watch the illegal event. At the event on 7 July, the 21-year-old allegedly struck one of the spectators, throwing him off his feet about four metres from the point of impact. The man has not been identified and it is unknown if he sustained any injuries. On the evening of 2 October 2022, the man allegedly attended another high-risk driving event in Truganina. In a Ford Falcon sedan which had been modified to increase its performance. The man allegedly conducted a burnout, narrowly missing spectators that were filming the event. The 21-year-old man was charged with 16 separate offences, including three counts of reckless conduct endangering life, three counts of reckless conduct endangering serious injury, driving in a manner dangerous, driving while suspended, driving an unsafe motor vehicle, and committing an indictable offence while on bail. He has been remanded to appear before Werribee Magistrates Court on 21 November.
While the significant decrease in hoon events has been pleasing, Victoria Police remains firmly focused on those seeking to organise or participate in high risk driving as we head into the warmer months.
In the event an orchestrated high-risk event occurs, our response will be rapid and decisive. If arrests are not made on the night, full scale investigations will follow and it will only be a matter of time before those participating, inciting and spectating receive a knock on their door.
Operation Achilles sees local police and Highway Patrol officers share intelligence on known hoons and proposed hoon activity, ensuring we are deploying police in the right places to stop offending before it occurs.
This includes Highway Patrol units identifying vehicles of interest, using Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology to scan more than 8,500 vehicles per hour.
If you witness, have dashcam, or CCTV footage of any intentional high-risk driving, contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or lodge a confidential report at www.crimestoppersvic.com.auExternal Link.
In an emergency, always call Triple Zero (000).
Quotes attributed to Southern Metro Region Assistant Commissioner Russell Barrett:
“We have successfully put the brakes on organised hoon groups, significantly reducing the number of high-risk driving events across Melbourne since Operation Achilles commenced.
“If the enforcement connected to Operation Achilles doesn’t speak for itself, then let me be clear – the minute you cross the line and engage in hoon activity, you won’t be able to hide from the police.
“We’re not only holding people to account for contemporary incidents of intentional high-risk driving – the level of intelligence we now have at our possession is enabling us to connect and charge offenders for historical hooning events.
“We know that as the weather heats up and the roads are at their driest, traditionally hoons will come out.
“If you decide to get behind the wheel and deliberately put the community at risk this summer, we will be watching your every move and sooner or later, you will be explaining your actions to police.
