Highway Patrol police dealt out more than 100 tickets in a bid to stop illegal driving activity during the Easter long weekend road blitz, but not the tickets one might expect.
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They were parking tickets, and they were aimed at deterring illegal street racing in the Hunter Economic Zone on the outskirts of Kurri Kurri.
It's an issue that Hunter Highway Patrol cluster supervisor Senior Sergeant Tony Grace said has been ongoing for 12 months but came to a peak on the long weekend.
"About 300 people turned up, including people on chartered buses, to watch burnouts," Senior Sergeant Grace said.
Police targeted the area each night from Thursday to Monday and issued more than 100 parking tickets.
The tactic was part of a "broken window approach" in which police pick off smaller offences in a bid to quell larger issues.
The broken windows theory is a belief that visible signs of crime and anti-social behavior create an environment that encourages more serious crime and disorder.
"The size of the crowd was inciting people to do burnouts," Senior Sergeant Grace said.
Senior Sergeant Grace said while police couldn't always catch street racing, he hoped that the infringements were enough to deter it. He said police would continue to target the area over coming weeks.
Police were otherwise pleased with the results during the long weekend road blitz in the Lower Hunter.
Six Highway Patrol cars were brought up from Sydney for the double demerits period, however there were no major crashes and just 87 speeding tickets issued across the Port Stephens-Hunter district in that period.
A 24-year-old Chinese national motorcyclist was booked for overtaking across double lines on a blind corner at Great North Road, Laguna on Saturday.
An Ellalong man was also charged after allegedly turning off before an RBT set-up at Nulkaba and fleeing from his car after police followed him.
Senior Sergeant Grace said the man was found in a residential backyard where it was discovered he was a disqualified driver, was driving an unregistered and uninsured car with unauthorised plates and was allegedly in possession of a trafficable amount of the drug ice.
The Anzac Day double demerits period starts today and runs until Sunday.
Sage Swinton
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
Sage Swinton is a news reporter who was born and bred in the Hunter. She has been with the Newcastle Herald since June 2020, and covers Newcastle council as well as other general news.
