Screens to be installed to stop growing spate of rock throwing along Southern Expressway
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Temporary screens will be installed on all unprotected bridges on the Southern Expressway in Adelaide, as the community continues to rally over a growing spate of rock-throwing incidents.
Installation will begin in three weeks, ahead of permanent screens being installed later in the year.
Transport Minister Stephan Knoll said the announcement followed a move to improve CCTV camera coverage, install mesh onto rock embankments, and number bridges over the freeway to aid police investigations.
"These screens won't necessarily be pretty, but they will be functional and they will get the job done," he said.
"It may mean that there is some small inconvenience for those using the footpath.
"This is an extremely difficult issue that we're dealing with, and this Liberal Government has been extremely quick to put in place measures that it considers are actually going to help solve this problem."
The Government's move is in response to growing concerns about the spate of rock throwing on the expressway, and comes after two new suspected incidents overnight.
Police said two drivers reported incidents at 6:30am and 7:00am this morning, with one object falling to the road and another hitting the undercarriage of his vehicle.
No-one was seen in the area at the time, and no items were found on the road, there were no injuries or damage from the incidents and it brings the total number of reports of rock throwing to 42.
Community meeting held in Adelaide's south
The announcement was made this morning after a meeting of community stakeholders including representatives from the police, Government, council, and community members.
Mr Knoll said the wide-ranging discussion was "extremely constructive".
He said SA Police told the meeting that officers would ensure anyone charged for rock throwing was dealt with by the courts, and warned people against taking vigilante action.
"If they're under 18 they will be going to youth court and if they are over 18 they will be going direct to court rather than to any sort of diversionary program," Mr Knoll said.
"The South Australia Police are the best and only placed people that can help catch these people and bring them to justice."
Opposition welcomes 'backflip'
Labor's police spokesman, Lee Odenwalder, welcomed the temporary fencing.
"We're very pleased about that, we've been asking for this for weeks now," he said.
"We're also keen to extend the community consultation … [we're] looking at instituting some public forums in the very near future."
The party has renewed calls for the Southern Expressway to be declared a special protective zone, permitting 24/7 patrols by security guards.
Meanwhile, the State Government has seized on a confidential risk assessment report prepared more than a year ago under the former Weatherill government, identifying the freeway as being at "high risk" of rock-throwing incidents.
The Government has accused Labor of sitting on the findings.
Labor leader Peter Malinauskas said it is unclear if the Cabinet was ever given the report, but regardless, the situation was now more out of control than it was a year ago.
Neighbourhood watch planned for expressway
Community members leaving the meeting appeared to be buoyed by the outcome.
Beau Cowan administered an online discussion forum sparked by the rock-throwing incidents, and said he was now looking at forming a neighbourhood watch for the expressway.
"That was put to me by the police as a way to make it more formalised, rather than just a bunch of residents on bridges," he said.
"I think generally [people] want to help, they want to add to the solution … so I think this community watch group will give them an avenue to put that energy into."
Mr Cowan is planning more meetings, open to the public, but welcomed the temporary fencing announcement.
"That's great, we couldn't really ask for much more."
Topics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, road, adelaide-5000, sa
