Fear on the streets of Murgon, the most dangerous postcode in Wide Bay Burnett
It’s the most dangerous postcode within 50,000 square kilometres, where many locals don’t venture outside their doors at night, and this quaint town at the heart of a thriving agricultural community is just three hours from Brisbane.
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Walking along Murgon’s Lamb Street feels like taking a stroll along the main street of any country town.
Outside the bustling entrance of the IGA supermarket, two women from the local RSL are chatting with passers-by from behind a stall selling chutneys and crocheted bibs.
Some locals sit outside the cafe, The Coffee Bar 4605 – named after the postcode for Murgon and the surrounding towns – in groups with shopping bags around their feet, making the most of the cool early autumn weather.
Murgon, nestled in the South Burnett, is the central hub for the surrounding farming community of 4770 people, including olive and grape growers, cattle producers, crop farmers and an award-winning cotton plantation.
It skews higher than state averages for the older and younger ends of the age demographics – just over 8 per cent of the population is aged 10-14, while 6 per cent is 70-74.
The Bunya Highway runs through the town, forming the main street of Lamb Street along which the standard array of pubs, cafes, clothing stores and a supermarket can be found.
Only a row of boarded-up windows suggests that Murgon is anything other than a thriving and healthy community.
But get talking to the local business owners and passers-by and a different picture emerges.
Asked if she would feel comfortable walking along the street at night, one elderly woman said “no way – I don’t venture outside my door at night-time”.
“Oh God no, I wouldn’t like to be on my own,” another woman said.
A prominent local business person said “you’re going to get some form of violence in the street, that’s fairly normal”.
“There is a lot of awareness here – we all know about the crime and we’re all aware of the fact that we’re screwed.”
ONE OFFENCE FOR EVERY SEVEN PEOPLE IN TOWN
The 4605 postcode, spanning Murgon and several other nearby towns including Crownthorpe, Moffatdale and Windera, is the most dangerous in the Wide Bay Burnett.
Police data reports 654 offences were recorded in the past six months, a ratio of one offence for every seven people in the area.
In contrast, Malarga on the Fraser Coast is the safest postcode in the Wide Bay Burnett, with one offence recorded in the past six months for every 149 people.
The most common offences are property damage, theft including shoplifting, assault, break-ins and public nuisance offences.
Shoplifting is a regular occurrence at the IGA supermarket, a crime hot spot in Murgon.
“You might have three in a week … but that’s what you know,” manager Dale Pye said.
Mr Pye said the incidence of shoplifting may have dropped since he made improvements six months ago to the security around exits and installed CCTV cameras.
With Murgon police station only 400m away, Mr Pye said he had a “really good working relationship with the police”.
“If we have somebody that we think has done anything or we can get it on TV, they generally go and have a word with them,” he said.
One Lamb St business owner, who declined to give his name for fear of reprisals, said violence on the street was sometimes so bad at the end of the day he could not leave his store.
SHOP OWNER FORCED TO BUNKER DOWN
In one incident around six weeks ago, he was forced to bunker down for two hours in the store, waiting out a fight that was raging in the street outside.
“I refused to leave, I ended up waiting an additional two hours here for it all to die down,” he said.
“I left by the back door and went by the cop shop because I did not want to walk down the main street.”
The man had a less favourable view of the police presence on the main street, saying that increased patrols were needed.
“The cops do not do something that I‘m used to seeing everywhere, where cops actually walk a beat – they don’t do that here,” he said.
“You wouldn’t rely on the fact that the cops are going to be here to protect you if something goes wrong.”
For Mark McDonald, owner of the Royal Hotel Murgon, police are doing a good job in a tough situation.
Mr McDonald said, in his experience, juvenile crime was the main issue.
“It’s kids – 13 or 14 years old – that’s the problem,” he said.
Just the previous evening Mr McDonald saw a group of children being chased by police along Lamb Street.
“A couple kids ran one way and another group ran another way, and the cops were running after them with their lights flashing,” he said.
Another staff member of the Royal Hotel, Wilson White, said he had experienced “countless” minor assaults.
“Personally I’ve encountered countless times, punches and things like that,” he said.
“I‘d say around here it’s mainly the youth are the biggest cause of (crime).”
But just across the road from the Royal Hotel, Lee Dudgeon of Struddys Sports Murgon has a different view.
In Mr Dudgeon’s experience, crime has improved in recent years.
“Years and years ago we had a few incidents where thieves smashed the window to get stuff out of the front of the store,” he said.
“But I can’t remember the last time it happened to be honest with you.”
Mr Dudgeon feels that public safety could be improved with better lighting along Lamb Street.
“The lighting could be better – along all the streets but especially the main street, it does look a bit dark,” he said.
In response to the public claims of insufficient police presence, a Queensland Police Service spokesperson said Murgon police did conduct “regular foot patrols”.
“Murgon police have a high level of engagement and partnerships with local business owners, with no areas of concern or complaints raised directly with police in the past months,” they said.
“Regular foot patrols continue to help officers engage with business owners and their staff to better understand any underlying issues.”
“Anyone with any information regarding crime in the area is asked to inform their local police.”
South Burnett Council has been contacted about plans to improve street lighting in Murgon.
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