LIMESTONE Coast Police is cracking down on excessive loads of wood in trailers and vehicles, which have the potential to cause serious crashes on the road.
Police have launched Operation Redgum, which focuses on the illegal activities involved with the sale and transportation of firewood throughout the region.
With winter only days away, the colder weather has resulted in a significant increase of firewood being transported and sold.
Limestone Coast Police operations manager Campbell Hill said officers would have a particular focus on excessive loads on vehicles and trailers, which present a danger to other road users.
“Every one of our officers will be looking at the road safety compliance as this firewood is moved around because there is a high proportion of people who are carrying loads inappropriately,” he said.
“For some it is a blatant disregard and they just do not care about the safety aspect, but we do appreciate there are people who do not realise the risk they are putting themselves and others at.”
Citing the fact the operation had been run for several years, Insp Hill said it would involve both education and enforcement on a case-by-case basis.
“It is absolutely an operation that has merit and last year we saw several vehicle crashes occur where people were really lucky not to be killed or injured,” he said.
“Those crashes were really as a result of the high loads they were carrying in the cabs of a utility or trailer, which they are not designed to carry.”
On the first day of the operation – which started this week – Insp Hill said police detected someone carrying a heavy load who was also driving under the influence of drugs.
“Our first day we have pulled someone over who was not only driving with a heavy load, but also drug-affected, which is just ridiculous,” he said.
Theft of red gum from properties around the region also remains a concern, but Insp Hill said police could not act without the information.
“Where the suspicion is there where officers believe something has been obtained illegally, we can take action,” he said.
“It is a crime that some people do not bother to report because they might not think we value it, but we have got an appetite to engage with those people.
“But unless people get in contact with us and tell us what’s going on, we cannot deploy our resources.”
In addition to the operation, Insp Hill said police would have an increased focus on vehicle standards and their roadworthiness.
“We will be establishing sites and stopping people to check purely for roadworthiness to ensure people are getting around the Limestone Coast in a safe way,” he said.
“Things like brakes, conditions of tyres, lighting – we have got the weather coming in now and we’re moving into that area of focus.”
