Kerre Woodham: Another weekend, another boy racer gathering

Almost four months to the day, on the 30th of June, headlines were trumpeting a police crackdown on boy racers. In Wellington, police issued 138 infringement notices, 19 vehicles were taken off the streets, five vehicles were seized by bailiffs because of unpaid fines, three were impounded, 11 were either pink or green stickered due to compliance issues, 420 people were breathalysed, one person was arrested, and a stolen Subaru was seized. From one boy racer gathering in Wellington.

On that same weekend in Canterbury, 171 infringement notices were issued, 33 vehicles were pink or green sticker due to safety issues, seven people arrested for disorderly behaviour, four people summoned for excess breath alcohol, one person had their license suspended, six vehicles were impounded. Four were seized by bailiffs for failing to pay fines.

And again, on the same weekend, Bay of Plenty police issued 163 infringement notices for vehicles impounded, 14 green stickers issued ordering vehicles off the road, three people arrested, seven summonsed for driving with excess breath alcohol, one person's license suspended.

So a big crackdown. Cut to this morning and one of the big stories of Labour weekend was a nasty gathering of boy racers in Wairarapa. Boy racers who hurled fireworks, bottles, and rocks at police on Sunday night are now facing a range of charges. The operation ended with violence when officers were confronted by a large and aggressive group on Waingawa Road near Masterton.

Masterton Mayor Gary Cafell is calling not just for the book to be thrown at anti-social boy racers, but its spectators too. He told Tim Beveridge yesterday that spectators are there, seemingly in support of those who are causing the anti-social behaviour, he said, I know they're creating a problem for police, maybe they need to be looked at as well because they're basically complicit in what's being done. And they are. I know that Mark Mitchell and Simeon Brown are trying to look at beefing up laws surrounding boy racers and maybe they will look at spectators as well, because without the spectators there wouldn't be the gatherings. It's basically a game of whack-a-mole.

You saw what happened in June - you get a large contingent of police officers who direct their efforts and their attention onto boy racers, and they go in there and they pick up law breakers. You cannot say that they're hassling legitimate car enthusiasts when you look at the excess breath alcohol, when you look at the violence, when you look at the failure to pay fines, when you look at the infringement notices, when you look at the non-compliance of the vehicles themselves.

There are always two schools of thought: ‘Ah, come on, we all did it. They're just young lads letting off a bit of steam. It's so bloody boring in these small towns and they love their cars and they spend a lot of money on their cars and they just want to show them off and we all grow out of it. I'm an old boy racer and I still love my cars.’ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. And then there's the other school of thought that they're dangerous oiks, they don't care anything about the safety of others, they don't care about the property rights of others, they don't care that we're trying to get some sleep, they should be hung, drawn and quartered in the town square, they should be shot.

And I think somewhere there's a happy medium in that. They're law breakers – you don't have a non-compliant car if you're a car enthusiast. You want to show off your car, you want to make sure that it's road worthy and that it's safe.

I've heard every excuse under the sun from boy racers. It's not fair. They (other people) should build us a burnout pad. Well, you spend enough on your cars, why don't you do it yourself? Why don't you pay to see just how good you are and go round a track? Got enough money for your cars, got enough money for the hideous RTDs that are littered all over the road a

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Carrywood of Mornings podcast from news
Talks at b.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Almost four months to the day. On the thirtieth of June,
headlines were trumpeting a police crackdown on boy races and
Wellington police as shed one hundred and thirty eight infringement notices.
Nineteen vehicles were taken off the streets, five vehicles were
seized by bailiffs because of unpaid fines, three were impounded,

(00:33):
eleven were either pinkle green sticker due to compliance issues,
four hundred and twenty people were breathalyzed. One person was arrested.
A stolen Sabaru was seized from one boy racer gathering
in Wellington. On that same weekend, in Canterbury, one hundred
and seventy one infringement notices were issued, thirty three vehicles

(00:53):
pinkleed green sticker due to safety issues, seven people arrested
for disorderly paid behavior, four people summons for excess breath alcohol,
one person had their license suspended, six vehicles were impounded,
four were seized by bailiffs for failing to pay fines,
And again on the same weekend, Bay of Plenty, police

(01:14):
as shoot one hundred and sixty three infringement notices, four
vehicles impounded, fourteen green stickers issued ordering vehicles off the road,
three people arrested, seven summoned for driving with excess breath alcohol,
one person's license suspended. So bag crackdown cut to this
morning and one of the big stories of Labor weekend

(01:35):
was a nasty gathering of boy Races and widded Upper
boy racers who hurled fireworks, bottles and rocks at police
overnight and wided Upper on Sunday night and now facing
a range of charges. The operation ended with violence when

(01:55):
officers were confronted by a large and aggressive group on
Way Nawell Road near Marsterton. Marstert and Mayor Gary Kafell
is calling not just for the book to be thrown
at antisocial boy races, but it's spectators too. He told
Tim Beverage on the station yesterday that spectators are there

(02:20):
seemingly in support of those who are causing the antisocial behavior.
He said, I know they're creating a problem for police.
Maybe they need to be looked at as well because
they're basically complicit in what's being done, and they are.
It's basically though, when it comes down to it, I
know that Mark Mitchell and Simme and Brown are trying

(02:41):
to look at beefing up laws surrounding boy racers, and
maybe they will look at spectators as well, because without
the spectators, there wouldn't be the gatherings. It's basically a
game of whack a mole. You saw what happen in June.
You get a large contingent of police officers who direct
their efforts and their attentions onto boy races, and they

(03:02):
go in there and they pick up lawbreakers. You cannot
say that they're hassling legitimate car enthusiasts when you look
at the excess breath alcohol, when you look at the violence,
when you look at the failure to pay fines, when
you look at the infringement notices, when you look at

(03:23):
the non compliance of the vehicles themselves. Because there are
always two schools of thought. Ah, come on, we all
did it. They're just, you know, young lads leading off
a bit of esteem. It's so bloody boring in these
small towns, and they love their cars, and they spend
a lot of money on their cars, and they just
want to show them off. And you know, we all

(03:44):
grow out of it. I'm an old boy racer and
I still love my cars. Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah. And
then there's the other school of thought is is they're
dangerous all weeks. They don't care anything about the safety
of others. They don't care about the property rights of others.
They don't care that we're trying to get some sleep.
They should be and drawn and courted in the town square.
They should be shot. And I think somewhere there's a

(04:06):
happy medium and that they're law breakers. You don't, you
don't have a non compliant car. If you're a car enthusiast,
you want to show if your car, you want to
make sure that it's road worthy and that it's safe.

(04:29):
You know, I've heard every excuse under the sun from
boy racers. It's not fear. They should build it. They
they other people should build us a burnout pad. Will
you spend enough on your cars? Why don't you do
it yourself? Why don't you pay to see just how
good you are and go round a track? Got enough

(04:51):
money for your cars, got enough money for the hideous
RTDs that are lit it all over the road after
you've been there, you should have enough money for an
entry fee to see just how good you are against
reel drivers. We have a fine history of motors board
in this country. We also have a less salubrious history

(05:14):
of oiks, entitled oiks who see it as some sort
of game, not too dangerous because they don't want to
risk everything. Gives them a little bit of a ooh,
a little bit of a to go up against. Oh,
here come the cops. Yeah, yeah, and take them on.

(05:37):
But I don't really know what the police can do.
They can direct all their attentions and all their efforts
over a weekend, and they can certainly get their arrests,
and they can certainly disrupt them for a while, But again,
like whack a mole? Are they pop another district another weekend.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
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