An ACT Policing taskforce has arrested 18 offenders and laid more than 70 charges in its first three weeks of operation.
A team of 40 officers form Operation Toric, which began on August 1 to address an increase in motor vehicle thefts and dangerous driving in the ACT.
According to ACT Policing, 1700 cars have been stolen in the territory since July last year. Of those charged this month, the vast majority are repeat offenders.
The taskforce aims to stop the increased risk dangerous driving causes the community due to the unpredictable and dangerous lengths offenders are reaching in order to avoid arrest.
This comes after three recidivists, described in court as "renowned criminals", allegedly lay in wait outside a senior constable's Canberra home early on Thursday morning.
When the officer returned, Bradley Booth, 29, allegedly pursued his vehicle through parts of Gungahlin at high speeds and eventually crashed into the senior constable's car. The police officer was part of the Operation Toric taskforce.
ACT Policing said offenders were showing a total disregard for personal and public property, including deliberately causing damage to stolen vehicles and police vehicles.
Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan said that since July last year, 29 police vehicles had been deliberately damaged by offenders, putting police and the public in grave danger.
He told reporters on Friday that replacing damaged police cars was a challenge and ACT Policing were hiring unmarked vehicles to cover demand.
"The dedicated officers in Operation Toric will put every hour of their work towards bringing each and every dangerous driving offender to justice," Deputy Commissioner Gaughan said.
"They will focus on offenders driving stolen vehicles who wilfully and without any care for themselves, their passengers, the community and responding police, put themselves and all other road users at significant risk through their driving behaviour.
"We are warning drivers who commit these reckless and illegal acts - that your behaviour will not be tolerated.
"The taskforce will be relentless in its mission - ensuring that those who believe they are above the law, are arrested and placed before the court for their actions."
However, Deputy Commissioner Gaughan stressed there were "some big issues" with legislation in the ACT.
"In short, unless my officers have eyes on a driver at the time they're in a stolen motor vehicle, driving it, I can't charge him, I can't charge him with stolen car offences, even if their DNA is in it," he said.
"It's a gap in the legislation that we need to fix and it will be fixed, and that will allow us to actually arrest people without actually going through the issue of seeing them drive a car."
