Mapped: Qld’s most safest, dangerous suburbs revealed

New police data has named some of the state’s most dangerous and safest postcodes within the last quarter. FIND YOUR POSTCODE

City sectors have recorded a far higher number of criminal offences across the state compared to rural and remote communities, according to a News Corp Australia analysis of Queensland police data.

A hot spot leading the way was crime capital Cairns’s 4870 postcode recording 4018 offences, followed by Toowoomba’s 4350 postcode recording 3069 offences.

The majority of these offences were other theft (excl unlawful entry), unlawful entry and good order offences.

Brisbane’s glitter strip postcodes 4000 (Spring Hill, Petrie Terrace and Brisbane City) and 4006 (Bowen Hills, Herston, Fortitude Valley and Newstead) were also a top crime hotspot recording 2656 offences and 2137 offences retrospectively.

More than 1200 of these offences were other theft (excluding unlawful entry), 924 were good-order offences and 655 were drug offences.

One hotspot which wasn’t in a metropolitan region was the 4825 postcode (Northern Outback) which recorded 1422 offences - majority of these offences were reported in and around Mount Isa.

A majority of these reported offences were assault (313 offences), other theft (195 offences), unlawful entry (181 offences), and other property damage (181 offences).

QUT professor of criminology John Scott said metropolitan areas generally had a higher crime rate due to population density, more police and hence more reporting.

The Valley Metro centre where Lauie Tagaloa died

“People are more likely to commit a crime against someone if they don’t know them,” Prof Scott said.

“But if you’re in a small town, there’s less chance to get away, more people know each other.

“Everybody looks out for each other when a stranger is in the town and things do get reported because people have that sort of strong sense of community.

“Property crime levels actually do tend to decrease as you move further away from cities.”

Prof Scott said places with more public transport are typically hubs for crime.

“You’ve got this likelihood of, that sort of poor level of interaction, where different groups of people will get into conflict with each other.

“It might be that people look different, or somebody doesn’t like how you’re dressing or how you look or how you’re talking.”

Whether it’s at a football game or a pub, Prof Scott said the risk levels are going to go up.

“Big sporting events bring so many diverse groups together and when you’ve got the diverse groups together there’s less of that sort of old fashioned notion of community, there is a lot of diversity, and diversity can lead to things like interpersonal violence, as well as property crime”.

QUT professor of criminology John Scott

According to Prof Scott’s rural research he said domestic violence is more prominent in remote communities.

“Remote places aren’t crime free zones, it just may be that the crime is not getting recorded,” he said.

“Especially if you’re in a small community, some people feel like they’ve got nowhere to go, and no one to turn to, and they can’t report it to the local police, because the local police might be having a beer with the person that’s perpetuating the violence.

“There’s also a sense in some of those places that you don’t go to the police, you know you don’t dob in a friend, whatever it might be.

“Whereas, you know, in the city where there are more eyes around, there’s more CCTV around, there’s more police around.”

Fortitude Valley resident Emma Redmond, 25 said she feels safe to live in the city despite living across the road from where a young man was brutally stabbed and murdered in July.

Lauie Michael Tagaloa, 24, was at the Valley Metro complex in Fortitude Valley about 4am on July 11 when a fight broke out between two groups of men who didn’t know each other.

Everything was caught on camera - Mr Tagaloa, 24, received a wound to his neck before collapsing to the ground.

Witnesses and paramedics performed CPR on Mr Tagaloa, but he later died.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” Ms Redmond said.

“It’s so sad, the guy was so young…it was just about some silly disagreement, and it escalated.

Emma Redmond, 25, at home with her dog Theo, Fortitude Valley. Picture: Liam Kidston

“It’s really scary because you think about the amount of people who are out in the Valley at those hours, on any given weekend night…. It’s just so easy that that could happen to anyone.”

Ms Redmond said she’s always lived in high density areas like Sydney and the Gold Coast.

“There’s always a police presence around, because I’m right across from the station,” she said.

“I still feel safe… but, it’s definitely still somewhat a rough area.

“You’ve always got people kind of hanging around, no matter if it’s a weekday or a weekend, there’s people drinking on the street.”

Since the stabbing Ms Redmond said she avoids walking her dog at night time.

Find out how many offences were reported in your suburb: https://qps-ocm.s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com/index.html

MOST DANGEROUS POSTCODES IN QUEENSLAND

1. 4870 - Cairns - 4018 offences

Cairns City, Cairns Central, Cairns North, Aeroglen, Earlville, Parramatta Park, Bungalow, Portsmith, Stratford and surrounding suburbs.

2. 4350 - Toowoomba - 3069 offences

Athol, Charlton, East Toowoomba, North Toowoomba, Toowoomba West, Toowoomba City, Wellcamp, Westbrook, Harristown, Middle Ridge and surrounding suburbs.

3. 4000 - Brisbane - 2656 offences

Spring Hill, Brisbane City and Petrie Terrace.

4. 4740- Mackay - 2105 offences

Alligator Creek, Mackay, Mackay North, East Mackay, Mackay West, Habana, Mount Jukes, Rural View, Balberra and surrounding suburbs.

5. 4006 - Brisbane - 2137 offences

Bowen Hills, Herston, Fortitude Valley and Newstead.

6. 4217 - Gold Coast - 1961 offences

Benowa, Bundall, Chevron Island, Gold Coast MC, Isle of Capri, Main Beach and Surfers Paradise.

7. 4305 - Ipswich - 1933 offences

Ipswich, North Ipswich, West Ipswich, One Mile, Raceview, Woodend, Yamanto, Sadliers Crossing, Limestone Ridges, Brassall and surrounding suburbs.

8. 4215 - Gold Coast - 1828 offences

Australia fair, Chirn Park, Labrador, Southport, Southport BC, Southport Park.

9. 4814 - Townsville - 1707 offences

Aitkenvale, Annandale, Cranbrook, Douglas, Garbutt, Garbutt East, Heatley, Mount Louisa, Murray, Thuringowa DC, Vincent and surrounding suburbs.

10. 4670 - Bundaberg- 1555 offences

Abbotsford, Alloway, Avoca, Bundaberg, Bundaberg Central, Bundaberg North, Bundaberg South, Elliott, Coral Cove, Kensington, Bucca and surrounding suburbs.

11. 4655 - Wide Bay - 1285 offences

Hervey Bay, Booral, Bunya Creek, Dundowran, Great Sandy Strait, Eli Waters, Kawungan, Kingfisher Bay Resort, Nikenbah and surrounding suburbs.

12. 4810 - Townsville - 1410 offences

Townsville, Townsville City, Shelly Beach, Castle Hill, Belgian Gardens, West EndCape Cleveland, Rowes Bay, Town Common and surrounding suburbs.

13. 4825- Northern Outback - 1422 offences

Mount Isa, Mount Isa City, Mount Isa DC, Parkside, Ryan, Townview, Winston, The Monument, Happy Valley and surrounding suburbs.

14. 4114 - Logan - 1339 offences

Woodridge, Logan City, Logan Central and Kingston.

15. 4510- Caboolture - 1233

Beachmere, Bellmere, Caboolture, Caboolture BC, Caboolture South, Donnybrook, Meldale, Moodlu, Rocksberg, Toorbul, Upper Caboolture.

SAFEST POSTCODES IN QUEENSLAND

1. 4467 - Qld Outback - 3 offences

Mungallala, Mungallala South, Redford, Tyrconnel

2. 4345 - Townsville - 3 offences

Gatton College

3. 4287 - Logan - 5 offences

Barney View, Mount Barney, Mount Lindsay, Palen Creek, Rathdowney, Running Creek

4. 4707 - Mackay - 6 offences

Collaroy, St Lawrence, The Percy Group

5. 4886 - Cairns - 10 offences

Beatrice, Ellinjaa, Maalan, Middlebrook, Millaa Millaa, Minbun, Moregatta, Mungalli

6. 4228 - Gold Coast - 15 offences

Tallebudgera, Tallebudgera Valley

7. 4373 - Ipswich - 16 offences

Killarney, the Falls, The Head

8. 4009 - Brisbane - 31 offences

Eagle Farm, Eagle Farm BC

9. 4710 - Rockhampton - 35 offences

Emu Park, Zilzie

10. 4029 - Brisbane - 48 offences

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital

Reported offence numbers from June 8, 2022 — September 7, 2022