Residents help police hunt down young crim

“You’re not the gingerbread man” Resident recalls how his neighbourhood assisted police with the arrest of a wanted man on the run.

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A USUALLY quiet regional neighbourhood rallied together to assist with locating and arresting a wanted criminal facing more than 20 charges on Sunday afternoon.

Chinchilla man James, who wished to not have his surname published, said the neighbourhood came alive as people came out to help police search for an alleged criminal who was jumping fences and going from yard to yard in a desperate bid to evade authorities.

"I was just sitting out the front talking to my kids when we saw a fella jump a fence nearby and next thing a copper pulled up and asked if we'd seen anyone running through and we showed him where he went," James said.

"The copper spent the next half an hour looking for him in all the yards and the crook bloody showed up behind our place where an old lady lives by herself and she was out the front trying to shoo him away kind of thing.

"I ran back around the other side to let the copper know where he was and the copper came tearing around, then he (the alleged criminal) took off through some yards again and some other people (neighbourhood members) bailed him up in a yard.

"He (the alleged criminal) went to just a fence and there must have been a big dog on the other side because he didn't want to go over it. He just seemed to give up.

"The policeman drove around, hopped out, told him to get on the ground and put him in the paddy wagon."

James said he moved to the region in April and although he had never witnessed an arrest like this in broad daylight, he admitted his neighbourhood had recently experienced an influx of crime in the last few months.

Chinchilla has experienced a severe increase in the amount of crimes happening around town this year with 2268 events reported since the start of 2019, 1045 more than the entire 2018 period.

"In the last few months we've called the police, either myself or other residents in the area, have called the police probably maybe ten to a dozen times," James said.

"There was only one copper by himself and honestly, he did an unreal job to round up this little crook as quick as he did."

James had a sage piece of advice for all of the young criminals in the region.

"You're not the ginger bread man, it's only a matter of time before the police catch up with you," he said.

"Crime doesn't pay. You need to make better choices, get a real job and be your own man and stand on your own two feet.

The 18 year old man appeared before the Dalby Magistrates court on Monday morning and was charged with 21 offences including six counts of stealing, six counts of driving unlicensed, four counts of unlawful use of a motor vehicle, entering premises by break, entering dwelling with intent, one count of burglary and failure to dispose of a needle.

The man was remanded in custody to reappear before the magistrate on January 20.

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James also wanted to share a message with the Chinchilla community regarding the current criminal culture in town.

"It pays to be vigilant and if everyone sticks together than eventually we can reduce the crime rate as community minded people," he said.

"I really think as a community we need to be positive and supportive towards police, especially in times like these when the crime rates are so high.

"It may not always mean lending a hand and pointing them in the right direction like we did this time, it may be as simple as just getting out of the road and letting them do their job because one day it could be your loved one they are going to assist.

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