Cop who loves donuts

Damien Stannard

October 08, 2006 12:00am
Article from: The Sunday Mail (Qld)

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WHEN rev-head cop Tony Anderson sees the smoke billow from a set of screeching tyres, he just grins and offers an encouraging clap.
Most times, the Cairns-based sergeant knows he can do better.

So he hops in his 1996 Falcon panel van – done up like a paddy wagon with police markings and lights – and shows the hoons how it's done.

The six-cylinder panel van has been a major drawcard in Cairns, where word of mouth recently flushed out about 180 petrol-heads and 40 cars to take part in a program he has dubbed Skids – Stop Kommitting Illegal Donuts.

"I do all right," he said of the regular burnout events he organises at the Cairns International Speedway.

"I've got this large fear of failure and everyone turns up to try to beat the copper.

"That's about 40-50 cars that would otherwise have been chucking burnouts on the road that night.

"It gets them off the street and on to a purpose-built, legal burnout pad where – for $2 – they can do as many burnouts as they want and won't hit anything.

"A lot of these kids spend an enormous amount of time on their cars but they've nowhere to go.

"Now they can do it legally and they won't lose their cars."

Sgt Anderson is trying to host burnout nights at the speedway every fortnight.

"It's great PR. I've been on the scene for quite a while and most of the hoons know me," he said.

"I've always built show cars and gone into burnout comps but this is my focus for the minute. It's all a bit of fun."

The "Cop It" panel van was due to be scrapped but with a new front end and a few adjustments it is one of the most impressive beasts at the speedway.

Sgt Anderson reckons the unroadworthy XG Falcon would barely be worth $2000 but the time and effort spent on the machine made it priceless.

The Edmonton-based officer, who recently won a burnout competition at the Ingham Car Show, can shred up to eight sets of tyres in a night.

He gets them from worn police stocks

Each burnout is scored on instant smoke, constant smoke, car performance and driver ability. Although he is not a qualified mechanic, he does his own modifications and the cost of work on the car comes out of his own pocket or donations.

Cairns traffic branch boss Senior Sergeant Preben Farbaek has not seen a noticeable reduction in hooning offences but is hopeful the program will work.

"Even if it gets a couple of people off the street and on to the speedway it's got to be a good thing," he said

$2 entry? How would they manage that?