Bay of Plenty police have put the brakes on boy racers in their community, impounding 12 cars and dealing out a hoard of infringement notices last Saturday.

In addition to the 12 impounded cars, 15 were ordered off the road and three people were arrested. Additionally, 128 infringement notices were issued and five licences were suspended.

The sting was part of an operation to target “anti-social and dangerous driving behaviour” said Acting Inspector Simon Sinclair and involved 100 officers across Western Bay, Eastern Bay, Taupō and Rotorua.

“It was a significant effort on Saturday night from our people and we’ll continue to look at footage from the night to identify other offending.

 “The outstanding effort sent a clear message to those engaging in anti-social and dangerous driving behaviour.”

District Commander, Superintendent Tim Anderson said the operation proved “how strong the district is when it comes together”.

“While this meet was in the Western Bay, we know this type of boy racer behaviour can happen anywhere across our district and others.

“The professionalism and agility of our teams on the night clearly made a difference.”