Hummers arrive to battle booze

Alex de Vos
Two specially marked Hummers have arrived to patrol Geelong’s streets as part of a police campaign to stamp out violence and public drunkenness.
Geelong Police Inspector Bill Mathers said the vehicles were designed to “raise awareness”.
“The Hummers will be down here for a couple of weeks to support our community safety initiatives,” Insp Mathers said.
The vehicles would patrol the region mostly at night as a “visible reminder the police are around”.
Insp Mathers said the Geelong campaign followed Melbourne’s Safer Street program, launched earlier this year in an attempt to clean up the city’s streets.
The four-wheel-drive Hummer guzzles almost 20 litres of fuel for every 100 kilometres.
“The Hummer itself is not a huge assistance, it’s more about the visual presence,” Insp Mathers said.
Police would not use the Hummers to transport prisoners.
“A brawler van will be used as a back-up to transport offenders to police cells,” Insp Mathers said.