Cairns car thieves need just two minutes to grab your keys

A crime expert has shared exactly how long thieves need to break in and find your keys – and the magic number of minutes it takes before they are most likely to be busted. HOW TO STOP CRIMS

A HARDCORE group of young car thieves need just two minutes to get into your home and grab your keys, a top Far North cop has warned.

As the region speeds towards a shocking car theft record in 2022, Far North Detective Inspector Kevin Goan said an active group of teenagers were driving up the offences.

“These offenders aren’t stealing cars without the keys and that’s critical,” he said.

“The success of them being undetected relates to the minimum, the least amount of time that they remain on a premises. So if they’re in a premise for more than two to three minutes, the opportunity for them to be caught, drastically increases.

“We get criticised for saying hide your keys or don’t leave your handbag near a window but this is what they are looking for, if they can’t see anything they are more likely to move on to the next.

“I know people say they shouldn’t have to and I agree with them but times have changed.”

Queensland Police figures revealed 735 cars have been stolen this year in the Far North, which is only 47 cars behind the entire 2021 record breaking total of 782 thefts.

Offenders as young as 10 have been caught taking cars for joy rides. The most common age of offenders is between 13-15 years-old however police are coming across a high number of First Nation and female offenders in the mix.

Residents near the forest and creek at the back of Bentley Park are frustrated by the number of stolen cars being dumped in the area. A burnt out car recently dumped. Picture: BRENDAN RADKE

Some young offenders are being placed in front of the court with more 50 offences.

Det Insp Goan said car theft usually works in a cycle and the region is currently experiencing an increase in that trend.

“What we’re dealing with here is primarily young people stealing the cars illegally using the cars solely for joy riding and entertainment value, so that trend is cyclic,” he said.

“We had a spike in 2017, where we had an increase of about 160 stolen vehicles, but in 2018, we saw a reduction of over 200. Then we see gradual increases in 2019, up by exactly 100. “But then in 2020, it’s down by over 179 cars. So that’s the cycle.

“The numbers have increased this year, it seems that there’s a cohort out there that are just hell bent on stealing cars, or unlawfully using cars to simply joy ride.”

Detective Acting Inspector Kevin Goan. Picture: Andrea Falvo

Lords Insurance director Sean Lord said car insurance premiums and questions around car theft are also on the rise.

“I have been doing this for 15 years now and we usually have a car stolen once a month or so but now it’s more like a weekly occurrence where we are seeing a car stolen or an attempted theft of a car,” he said.

“What has (also) increased is the questions people are asking like is my car covered for theft and what is the scenario if my car gets stolen.

“Premiums in general have gone up quite drastically.

“Its not just one specific area going or up or one type of vehicle, its anything with wheels are going up in price.”

Mr Lord also highlighted the extended wait times to fix cars that have been damaged or stolen.

“The wait time to get your car fixed or to receive parts is astronomical. We have a client who had her car stolen back in February which is only getting fixed now,” he said.

Sean Lords from Lords Insurance Services, at the Woree Plaza Business Centre

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard said her department recognised there are young people in the Far North committing offences but insisted that youth justice laws are strong.

“We recognise there is a cohort of young people committing more offences,” she said.

“Queenslanders deserve to be safe in their homes and in their communities.

“This is why the Palaszczuk Government strengthened bail laws in 2021, making them the toughest youth bail laws in the country.”

Queensland Minister Children and Youth Justice Leanne Linard speaks during Question Time at Parliament House. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dan Peled

Police were on Wednesday trying to locate a potential stolen vehicle being driven dangerously from a Far North town, with juveniles believed to be on board.

A concerned member of the public raised the alarm to Cairns police after witnessing a white Rav 4 speeding erratically towards Cairns from the Yarrabah area sometime after 7am on Wednesday.

A Queensland Police spokesman said officers had not yet found the vehicle.

“We have been made aware of a possible vehicle driving dangerously,” he said.

It comes just days after car thieves crashed into a vehicle on the Bruce Highway on Monday.

The elderly occupants were unharmed but shaken by the incident.

Police said the most common cars taken by youth offenders include the Toyota Rav4 and luxury brands such as BMW.

Det Insp Goan appealed to the public to help assist police in their prevention efforts.

“The public must take precautionary measures or their risk of becoming a victim of crime increases,” he said.

“If people know there’s a cluster of young people going out to commit offences, jump on the phone to Crimestoppers, you know, the anonymity of Crimestoppers is such that you will never be identified as having made that call.

“Keep your car keys hidden, keep them out of sight, and secure your handbag and lock doors.”

Originally published as Cairns car thieves need just two minutes to grab your keys