ACT Policing operation targeting dangerous driving, recidivism should be permanent, Legislative Assembly inquiry finds

Road cameras to better support police pursuits in Canberra should also be considered by the government, along with electronic tags to monitor offenders who are on bail, the committee said.

The inquiry into annual and financial reports also recommended the government improve education programs in the Alexander Maconochie Centre, the territory's jail, and review the fence around the facility to ensure drugs and contraband cannot be smuggled in.

Operation TORIC - an acronym of "targeting of recidivism in Canberra" - began in August last year and made its 200^th arrest in February, targeting the high rates of car thefts and related crime in Canberra.

The Legislative Assembly's standing committee on justice and community safety has recommended the ACT government consider programs to address recidivist offending in the territory, identified by Operation TORIC.

The government should also ensure ACT Policing are adequately funded to support Operation TORIC permanently, the committee found.

"The committee considers that Operation TORIC appears to be successful in targeting recidivist offenders involved in dangerous driving, who are also often involved in other offending," the committee's report said.

"The committee is concerned at the high levels of recidivism in the ACT and considers that targeted measures to address this issue are required."

Police have said the rapid arrest rate of the operation has brought the number of stolen motor vehicles down from a peak of 359 over the three months from April to June 2022 to 235 between October and December.

The inquiry recommended the government consider options for electronic monitoring of family violence and dangerous driving offenders on bail or parole.

"The Committee is of the view that electronic monitoring as part of bail orders would be of benefit in the ACT, noting the improvements in electronic monitoring technology and evidence pointing to effectiveness of electronic monitoring in reducing recidivism from trials in other jurisdictions," the report said.

The ACT's chief police officer, Neil Gaughan, told a separate Assembly inquiry in November that ankle tags should be considered as part of efforts to reduce dangerous driving rates in the ACT.

The technology could also allow police to monitor whether a person has been in a speeding car, with improved tracking technology allowing precise measurements, he said.

Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury said at the time the government was willing to consider using the devices.

Eighteen people died on ACT roads in 2022, the highest toll in more than a decade, which put pressure on the ACT government to act on dangerous driving offences.

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The Assembly inquiry also recommended the ACT consider banning gamblers from using cash in poker machines in Canberra because evidence had shown it deterred money laundering, while first introducing bet and load limits to the machines.

But a plan to introduce a central monitoring system for gaming venues should be reconsidered "in light of evidence that they are not efficient at detecting money laundering and industry concerns at the costs involved", the committee said.

Mr Rattenbury, who is also the Gaming Minister, in April 2022 announced the government believed a central monitoring system could cost up to $18 million but revenue from gaming machines could partly cover the expense.

"We are seeking to avoid the traditional barney between the government and the clubs around this - you know, just shouting at each other from 20 paces - but to have a joint effort to implement this model over a sustained period of time," Mr Rattenbury said at the time.

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