Covert cameras now in force in Mandurah and Dawesville to crackdown on hoons

A series of covert and automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras are now in force in Mandurah and Dawesville to help crackdown on hoons and other unlawful activity.

The $200,000 high-tech equipment scans vehicle registration plates, immediately alerting officers in the State Operations Command Centre to vehicles involved in crime.

Officers are then able to respond rapidly to offences such as burglaries, disqualified or unlicensed drivers, and unregistered or stolen vehicles.

Covert cameras are being used to monitor hoon hotspots as well as other areas known for anti-social behaviour or criminal activity in the area.

"Hooning in Mandurah and Dawesville has been a long-standing issue for our community and it is being dealt with," Mandurah MLA David Templeman said.

"Local police have been working tirelessly to address the issue and I am proud to be able to support them with high-tech Police equipment to help their fight against hooning."

In combination with speed detection equipment, ANPR cameras monitored 174,585 vehicles in the Dawesville and Mandurah region during a two-week period, recording 2,079 travelling above the legal speed limit.

WA Police also charged five drivers with hooning offences during a week-long covert camera operation during the same month.